The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has launched a targeted flood-mitigation campaign along Taft Avenue to resolve persistent flooding on one of the capital’s busiest thoroughfares.

During an inspection last week, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon directed the Manila South Engineering District to dredge Balete Creek.

The waterway serves as the primary drainage outlet for several commercial properties and three major educational institutions: Adamson University, the Technological University of the Philippines and Santa Isabel College.

Runoff from these areas heavily contributes to severe flooding along the stretch of Taft Avenue spanning from Ayala Boulevard and United Nations Avenue to Padre Faura Street and the Philippine General Hospital.

Dizon said the clearing operations align with directives from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to secure critical infrastructure before the onset of the rainy season, noting that presidential convoys frequently utilize the route.

As part of the clearing project, Dizon granted a request from Sister Geraldine Denoga, Santa Isabel College vice president for administration, to restore a protective perimeter fence along the creek.

During Dizon’s site visit, school officials requested that the metal barrier, which had been temporarily dismantled to allow heavy dredging equipment access, be reinstalled to maintain campus security and prevent trespassing and theft.

The dredging is part of a larger, collaborative flood-control strategy between the DPWH and the local government of Manila.

Recent phases of the joint initiative included replacing century-old concrete drainage pipes in the Ermita district, spanning Arroceros near Manila City Hall, the Lawton complex, Bonifacio Drive, Roxas Boulevard and T.M. Kalaw Avenue, to expedite the flow of storm runoff into Manila Bay.

“With the drainage improvement works in full swing by both the DPWH and the Manila local government unit, we hope to solve the perennial problems in that area,” Dizon said.

“We expect to see the positive outcome of these interventions as the rainy season begins this May and June,” he added.