Malacañang said the construction of the proposed five rainwater impounding facilities across Metro Manila, which is the first part of the implementation of Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA)’s ‘sponge city’ initiative, to minimize flooding in the region will have an estimated cost of P4.05 billion.
Executive Secretary Ralph G. Recto made the announcement last Tuesday after meeting with MMDA earlier this month to discuss the initial government funding for the project.
He said the fund will be included in the proposed National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Assistance Program.
The fund will be used for the facilities at the Camp Aguinaldo, Miriam College, Remedios Circle, Rajah Sulayman Park and the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Garden at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Vito Cruz.
Once completed, the five facilities will have a storage capacity of 107,600 cubic meters of rainwater preventing it from reaching flood-prone communities.
‘We need more than just the cleaning of drainage systems and waterways. We also need to increase Metro Manila’s capacity to catch and temporarily store water during heavy rains,’ Recto said in Filipino in a statement.
‘Our objective is simple: manage the water before it becomes a flood, and protect as many communities as possible,’ he added.
The five new facilities are part of the ‘sponge city’ project of the MMDA, which includes a total of 39 sites.
MMDA is targeting to complete the said projects by June 2027, and the 34 other facilities by the end of next year.
Recto has yet to disclose the source and the amount of funding for the 34 other sponge city facilities. The Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank (AIIB) has also committed US$200 million to help finance MMDA’s sponge city initiative.