MMDA: Houses along esteros major cause of Metro floods

Floods tend to quickly build up in portions of Metro Manila partly because of clogged or unusable waterways, GMA News’ “24 Oras" newscast reported Tuesday based on data from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). Using infographics, “24 Oras" explained this perennial problem following the floods in the National Capital Region due to a heavy downpour spawned by the southwest monsoon.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV Citing MMDA data, the newscast said the problem is with residential structures built on top of or along the path of waterways, clogging these systems and rendering them unusable as natural drainage. Pateros, Manila, and Pasay stand out as the localities with the most houses on top of or along creeks, according to the MMDA. The city with the most number of waterways that are difficult to declog is Quezon City, the MMDA added. In general, the agency explained it can only declog 43 percent of stagnant esteros in Metro Manila, according to GMA News’ “State of the Nation" newscast Tuesday. The MMDA said it will not be able to declog 57 percent of stagnant waterways in the metropolis, because many are too narrow to dredge and those wide enough have been encroached upon by squatters who have built houses on top of or along them. The newscast said approximately 61,000 households, or 2.35 percent of the 2.6 million households in the National Capital Region, are located along waterways.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV Living in danger zones A year after the onslaught of Tropical Storm Ondoy — which inundated Metro Manila and nearby areas in September 2009 — experts noted over 150,000 households living in the most flood-prone areas in the metropolis remain at risk. A map by GMA News Online helps users find out if they live in a flood-prone area.

Meanwhile, western Luzon and the Visayas will continue to endure thunderstorms and monsoon rains until Wednesday morning because a low pressure area, formerly named Tropical Storm Lando, still hovers over the West Philippine Sea northwest of Sinait, Ilocos Sur. Late Tuesday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in its Twitter account that Pangasinan province was getting up to 18 millimeters of rain per hour (mm/hr). Southern parts of Nueva Vizcaya were receiving rainfall of up to 12 mm/hr. Satellite images showed that enhancing the rains is Typhoon “Kabayan." Though it was moving further away from the country, the typhoon’s tail end is tugging at the southwest monsoon, pulling rain clouds across Luzon’s northern and central regions, according to state-run weather forecaster.

Luzon will experience rains Wednesday due to a low-pressure area, according to the state weather bureau PAGASA website

PAGASA said coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be moderate to rough. Typhoon Kabayan is expected at 810 km northeast of Basco, Batanes by Wednesday evening, and 570 km north northeast of Basco, Batanes or 200 km southwest of Okinawa, Japan by Thursday evening, PAGASA said in its 11 p.m. bulletin Tuesday. — VS/HS, GMA News