Costing P20 million each to repair, two flood-control stations operated by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in the city of Manila were reinaugurated early this week.
Located in Binondo and Quiapo, the upgraded pumping stations will have a coverage of nearly 256 hectares, nearly double their original area.
Aside from their immediate vicinity, the stations are expected mitigate flooding in the Sampaloc, España and Malacañang areas, MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino said.
Each station can now pump 3.6 cubic meters of water per second, compared to the maximum of 2.37 cubic meters per second recorded prior to the repairs, he added.
Ten more stations had been repaired ahead of schedule this year: Libertad, Tripa de Gallina, Pandacan, Valencia, Aviles, Paco, Makati, Sta. Clara, Balete and Arroceros, according to Emma Quiambao, MMDA flood control chief.
Most of the rehabilitated stations have been in use for about 40 years and used to run on diesel, but they can now be powered by electricity and have generators on standby, Tolentino said.
The stations help divert floodwaters into Manila Bay, preventing them from settling inland especially during high tide.