Flash floods prompt suspension of NCR road reblocking

Thursday's flash floods that stranded commuters and snarled traffic in Metro Manila have prompted the Department of Public Works and Highways to suspend its road reblocking work.

 

The reblocking work, usually done from Friday night until early Monday, was suspended to avoid a repeat of Thursday's flooding, in case of a sudden downpour.

 

Both the DPWH and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority admitted that the road construction and drainage repair were partly to blame for the flooding, according to Friday report on GMA 7's "24 Oras”.

 

"Humihingi kami ng pang-unawa sa mga tao. Ang gobyerno naman ay hindi tumitigil sa paggawa ng solusyon. So in the end, lahat naman na ito mapapakinabangan nating lahat," DPWH Metro Manila regional director Engineer Rey Tagudando said. There are 29 major road construction projects in Metro Manila, but work has started on only 16 of these. The road projects are due for completion in 2018.

 

Meanwhile, around 39 areas are to undergo drainage repair.

 

In Manila, there are three box culvert projects, including one in the Blumentritt area, to serve the Dimasalang and Maceda areas.

 

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino explained that the traffic jams were partly due to limited road space capacity. 

 

Meantime, the MMDA's short-term solution to the flooding is to declog several drainage systems, including that along España Boulevard in Manila. — Joel Locsin/DVM, GMA News