ALTHOUGH Tropical Depression “Egay” swirled out of the Philippine area of responsibility on Tuesday, the heavy rains it brought and a new low-pressure area spotted off southern Visayas have caused hip-deep floods in some streets in Malabon City.
Barangay Dampalit was the worst hit in the area, where water in a fish pond overflowed due to the heavy rains and the high tide, causing 12-feet- to 15-feet-deep floods in several subdivisions. Jaime Cruz, barangay treasurer, said that the fish pond was supposed to be part of a megadike project initiated by the Department of Public Works and Highways in the area.
“That was part of the 30 to 40 percent of the project that has been left untouched. If construction for the megadike had reached that part, then the ‘walls’ that held the water of the fish pond would have been sturdier, “Cruz said.
Residents of the subdivisions of Rodriguez, Doña Juana and Merville were as a result forced to take boat trips from one point to the other, as the streets were made impassable both to commuters and vehicles.
The inflatable boats had been set aside by the residents themselves to be used in cases of heavy flooding. Passengers were made to pay P5 to P10 depending on the distance covered by the boat.
In M. Sioson subdivision, residents had to tread through knee-deep floodwaters.
Patrick Buenaventura braved through the floods with a smile in his face, a plastic bag held to his chest.
“We are used to the flooding here already,” he told the Inquirer when sought for comment.
Behind him were two other residents, their pants folded up to their knees, walking towards a store.
Although the rains had stopped as of 10 a.m., the skies remained dark and cloudy in the area.
The heavy flooding in the city has caused the Department of Education to declare a suspension of classes in several schools.
Early in the morning, the city’s Public Information Office said that classes in Dampalit Elementary School—Main and Unit 1, Tonsuya Elementary School, Panghulo Elementary School and Panghulo High School had been suspended.
As of 11 a.m., local officials had not lifted the suspension.