Metro Manila battles floods amid stricter quarantine restrictions

Heavy rains caused knee-high floods in Metro Manila over the weekend, adding challenges to the metropolis which was placed under stricter quarantines just last week due to the COVID-19 Delta threat.

In Marikina City, some 2,269 families have been forced to seek shelter in 29 evacuation centers. The figure is lower than the 3,000 recorded on Saturday, as the downpour weakened versus previous days.

The H. Bautista Elementary School alone houses 475 families, with a cap of 15 individuals per classroom due to the prevailing COVID-19 restrictions.

“Pagkatapos ng araw na ito, maaaring gagawin namin magkaroon ng surveillance testing—antigen or RT-PCR—para malaman natin kung naging superspreader ang pangyayaring ito,” Marikina Mayor Marcy Teodoro said in a report on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” on Sunday.

[After today we will look into surveillance testing—antigen or RT-PCR—to determine if this event is a superspreader.]

The Marikina River has already spilled out to the nearby sidewalks, with the first alarm raised on Sunday afternoon after its level hit 15.5 meters.

Still, Teodoro said the situation is still better than what the city experienced during Typhoon Ulysses (international name: Vamco) in November.

“Ngayon kasi, iba ‘yung water behavior sa Marikina dahil nakapag-dredging tayo, buhat noong magkaroon ng Ulysses, kaya nakikita namin ngayon, mas malapad ‘yung outfall area, ‘yung nilalabasan na area ng Marikina River,” he said.

[Now we see different water behavior in Marikina because we were able to dredge after Ulysses, so we saw a wider outfall area, a bigger area for the Marikina River to flow into.]

In nearby Cainta, Rizal, a total of 406 families or 1,594 individuals were forced to evacuate as knee-high floods were experienced even in executive villages.

The same was recorded G. Araneta avenue in Quezon City, where the waters have already subsided but streets were left muddy due to a number of potholes in the area.

“Kung ikukumpara noong mga nakaraang mga taon, mas mabilis ang pag-subside ng tubig baha dahil rin sa mga flood control efforts ng national government, DPWH, MMDA, and even the local government,” Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Spokesperson Celine Pialogo said in a separate report.

[If we compare with previous years, the water subsided faster because of the flood control efforts of the national government, DPWH, MMDA, and even the local government.]

There are currently 67 pumping stations in Metro Manila, with the Department of Public Works and Highways set to build 27 more, in efforts to prevent flooding.

In Manila City, local authorities were able to collect 90 tons of garbage from Roxas Boulevard where the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) “dolomite beach” is located.

“Ang basura ninyo, itabi ninyo, ibalot ninyo, itapon ninyo sa tamang sisidlan dahil aanurin ‘yan ng tubig at tatama sa mga pantalan at mapupunta sa mga imburnal,” Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said in a separate report.

[Dispose of your trash properly, as floodwaters will bring these into the wharfs and into the sewage systems.]

The Manila Mayor also ordered the city’s Department of Safety and City Engineer to clear the roads to make them passable to traffic.

Metro Manila and four other areas were again placed under the general community quarantine “with heightened restrictions” from July 23 to 31, following the confirmation of the local transmission of the Delta COVID-19 variant.
 

The Philippines on Sunday, July 25, reported 5,479 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total caseload to 1,548,755. This includes 54,262 active cases; 1,467,269 recoveries; and 27,224 deaths. — BM, GMA News