The continuous expansion of urban areas in Metro Manila is among the factors contributing to major flooding in the region, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

“Urbanization is also included among the reasons for flooding,” MMDA general manager Nicolas Torre III said Saturday.

“It is really because the urban jungle is continuously sprouting everywhere,” he added.

Torre noted that many residential areas now consist of high-rise buildings housing more people, placing additional stress on the environment, particularly infrastructure and utilities.

He said flood assessments should consider the extent of flooding, water height and the speed at which floodwaters recede.

Torre emphasized the need for coordination between the MMDA and the Department of Public Works and Highways in managing Metro Manila’s flood control system.

“That is an interplay. An interplay of the whole government approach,” Torre said.

Minimal effect?

He said the agencies have different areas of expertise and that there may be good reason to review the allocation of responsibilities among those involved.

Torre also said Manila Third District Rep. Joel Chua has proposed reviewing the MMDA’s enabling law, particularly its mandate and role in addressing perennial flooding in Metro Manila.

He said historical data should be compared to determine whether government projects and engineering interventions have improved flood control, with fewer areas expected to be affected.

Torre noted that while reports of severe flooding caused by the southwest monsoon, or habagat, recently circulated widely on social media, some areas in Metro Manila were no longer affected.

“In Marikina, many areas were flooded, but it has decreased. In Camanava, many areas were supposedly flooded because they are below sea level, but many areas there were also no longer affected,” he said.

The MMDA is also looking into why river systems in Parañaque and Las Piñas overflowed, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. prioritizing the Parañaque Spillway as a flood control intervention.

Garbage woes

Torre said addressing Metro Manila’s waste problem requires cooperation between the government and the public.

He stressed that the government has a greater responsibility to establish an effective system for waste collection, transportation and disposal.

“That should be an effective system to ensure that our garbage is disposed of properly,” he said.

Torre said the public, as the “manufacturers” of waste, also has a responsibility not to add to the problem by complying with waste management laws and properly segregating garbage.