Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco
MANILA, Philippines — The Tangos-Tanza Navigational Gate would have prevented severe flooding in Navotas and neighboring cities, Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco said on Wednesday.
Tiangco in a statement said that flooding was controlled when Typhoon Ondoy hit in 2009 even when there were just 24 Bombastik pumping stations in the city.
Today, the city currently operates 81 pumping stations, but the damage to the Tangos-Tanza Navigational Gate—caused by a barge that forcefully went through the channel last June—has led to flooding as nothing could now prevent the seawater from entering communities during high tide.
READ: MMDA aims to fully repair Malabon-Navotas River floodgate by August
“In fact, during Ondoy, flooding was controlled even if we only had 24 Bombastik stations at that time,” Tiangco said.
“The damage to the floodgate caused a big problem because this was supposed to block the entry of seawater during the high tide. Navotas residents should not have experienced difficulties, because the 81 pumping stations cannot control flooding if the floodgates are not shut. The situation when Ondoy hit was worse, but the Navotas LGU was able to control it even with fewer pumping stations,” he added.
READ: Metro Manila now under state of calamity due to Typhoon Carina
Tiangco said he has been coordinating with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) over the possible filing of a case against the company which owns the barge that damaged the floodgates.
MMDA operates the floodgates, and officials said the full repair can last up to August.
“We’re studying the legal options available to make those responsible for the damage of the navigational gate accountable. What we are thinking of here are the families that suffered floods due to the floodgate’s damage,” he said.
File a case
“What they are experiencing right now is not a laughing matter, that’s why we have been talking with the MMDA to know what cases can be filed,” he added. “Forcing the vessel to be towed by tugboats after hitting the floodgates—despite personnel asking them to stop—was not an accident.”
According to Tiangco, pumping stations are currently operational but these cannot address the flooding as the floodgates cannot prevent seawater from entering the city.
“Our Bombastik Pumping Stations continuously operate to hasten the flood-reduction operations, but this would not suffice if the floodgates cannot stop the entry of seawater,” he said.
“Dredging to repair the floodgate has started but this was hampered by the typhoon. But this would not have been a problem if the tugboats did not force the vessel into the floodgate,” he added.
Several roads and communities over Metro Manila and nearby provinces were flooded due to non-stop rains brought by the southwest monsoon, as intensified by Typhoon Carina.
This has forced the national government to place Metro Manila under a state of calamity. Among the hardest-hit areas were cities in the Camanava area, which stands for Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela.
Earlier, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said that Carina slightly weakened, now packing maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour (kph), and gustiness of up to 215 kph.
However, Pagasa also warned that strong rains may still persist especially over Metro Manila and nearby provinces of Rizal and Bulacan, causing flooding.
READ: Carina weakens; continues to enhance habagat – Pagasa https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1965243/carina-weakens-continues-to-enhance-habagat-pagasa
Tiangco said that the local government of Navotas still assists in evacuating residents from critical areas to the designated evacuation centers.
Navotas residents in need of emergency assistance can also contact the city government’s emergency hotline at 8281-1111 and TXT JRT numbers – 0917-521-8578 for Globe, 0908-886-8578 for Smart and 0922-888-8578 for Sun subscribers.