The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will build three rainwater impounding facilities (RIFs) in Manila to help mitigate flooding in the capital.
MMDA Chair Atty. Don Artes and Manila Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso signed a memorandum of agreement for the implementation of nature-based solutions in the city.
The agreement covers the construction of RIFs at the ASEAN Garden along the CCP Complex, Remedios Circle, and Rajah Sulayman Park.
The proposed sites were identified following technical studies by Haskoning that assessed their feasibility as locations for RIFs, particularly in areas prone to recurring flooding.
The facilities will temporarily store rainwater and serve as catch basins during heavy rainfall.
The RIF at Remedios Circle will have an estimated storage capacity of 10,000 cubic meters and will serve a catchment area of around 94 hectares.
The facility at Rajah Sulayman Park will have an estimated storage capacity of 8,000 cubic meters and will also serve a catchment area of around 94 hectares.
Meanwhile, the Vito Cruz ASEAN Garden facility will serve a catchment area of about 60 hectares and will have a proposed storage capacity of around 9,600 cubic meters.
The projects are part of a P4-billion fund approved for rainwater catchment facilities.
The construction of the RIFs forms part of an initiative to develop Metro Manila into a ‘sponge city,’ where rainwater is stored and managed as a resource.
The collected rainwater may also be used for other purposes as part of efforts to improve water resource management and conservation.
Artes said the MMDA aims to complete the construction of the three facilities before the start of the rainy season next year, with a target completion date of June 30, 2027.
‘The marching order to us from our President Bongbong Marcos is to finish this before the rainy season starts next year. So internally, we have set a target by June 30,’ Artes said.
Artes said the three facilities are only part of a larger project to address flooding in Manila, particularly in the areas of Taft, Remedios, and Padre Faura.
Domagoso thanked the national government, through the MMDA, for responding to the city’s requests for the projects, with funding to come from the agency.
‘So, on behalf of the people of Manila, I would like to thank the National Government, Office of the President through MMDA Chair Artes and MMDA family,’ he said.
‘Solutions, interventions, with the recurring problems with regard to flooding of Metro Manila, particularly the south portion of Manila, are now going to be implemented under the leadership of Chairman Artes,’ Domagoso added.