The local government of Quezon City on Thursday is tapping the city’s 142 barangay governments to augment the flood mitigation efforts of both the city and national governments during the launch of the “Tanggal Bara, Iwas Baha” Program.

Under the program, Mayor Joy Belmonte has directed barangays to prioritize the clean-up of clogged drainage systems, sewers and street inlets, manholes and interceptors.

“The city government cannot do it alone. We need all the help of our communities led by our barangay councils to mitigate rainwater overflow and flooding in our streets,” Belmonte said.

“This can be achieved through regular maintenance of drainage systems in their respective jurisdictions,” she added.

‘The city government cannot do it alone. We need all the help of our communities led by our barangay councils to mitigate rainwater overflow and flooding in our streets.’

The mayor cited flood-prone barangays such as Del Monte, Masambong, Bagong Silangan, Dona Imelda, Roxas, Tatalon and Apolonio Samson. These barangays suffered the most during the onslaught of habagat and typhoon “Carina.”

She added that through the “Tanggal Bara, Iwas Baha” program, it is hoped that despite the additional volume of rainwater brought about by climate change, floodwaters in these areas will recede more swiftly.

This program is a joint initiative of the QC Department of Engineering (QCDE), the Barangay and Community Relations Department (BCRD), the Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability Department and the Department of Sanitation and Cleanup Works of Quezon City.

Based on data from the Engineering Department, from January to September 2024, the local government has conducted 647 de-clogging operations. The sludge collected through these efforts was enough to fill 50 garbage trucks.

Since 2023, Quezon City has implemented 61 flood control projects consisting of road and drainage projects and waterways infrastructure.

The QCED also implemented green engineering initiatives through 224 rainwater harvesting systems and 148 proposed floodwater detention basins.

Meanwhile, the city is currently upgrading its drainage system in line with its QC Comprehensive Drainage Master Plan crafted in partnership with the University of the Philippines-Resilience Institute.

The plan includes modernizing the current drainage systems of the city in order to address the worsening flooding problems brought about by more extreme weather conditions.