With the recent monsoon and storms submerging flood-prone barangays in Quezon City once more, Mayor Joy Belmonte has urged village chiefs to do their part in mitigating floods.
Belmonte has launched the “Tanggal Bara, Iwas Baha” program, directing 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 mayor believes that through “Tanggal Bara, Iwas Baha,” floodwaters will recede more swiftly despite the additional volume of rainwater brought about by climate change.
Taking heed, Floride Casaje, Barangay Damayan (District 1) chairwoman, said quarterly declogging is in order.
Casaje told DAILY TRIBUNE that she ordered an inventory of manhole and canals that they plan to cover with metal screen to prevent trash and other debris from clogging the drainage.
“Manholes have to be screened so debris won’t enter and clog the canal,” she said.
The village chief added that they will conduct “revitalized information campaign” about waste segregation.
Implementing “Tanggal Bara, Iwas Baha” are the Quezon City Department of Engineering (QCDE), the Barangay and Community Relations Department, the Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability Department and the Department of Sanitation and Cleanup Works of Quezon City.
Based on data of QCDE, 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.