Cainta Mayor Keith Nieto ordered utility companies Friday to secure local government permits before excavating public roads, warning that unauthorized diggings are blocking drainage systems and worsening local flooding.

The directive follows an incident Friday morning where Nieto halted a Manila Water excavation on Ricarte Street after workers failed to produce a permit.

“They cannot show any permit,” Nieto said. “I sent them straight to the police station to file a case, and I had their truck impounded.”

Nieto said uncoordinated infrastructure work regularly damages the town’s drainage network.

“Imagine a utility pole was built right in the middle of the drainage,” Nieto said. “The thing is, that is where all the plastic and trash get caught, which causes flooding in our town.”

The mayor stressed that mandatory permits ensure the municipal government can review project plans and prevent obstructions to waterways.

“They are messing up the system I am fixing,” Nieto said. “Please cooperate so we do not have to take legal action.”