World | Philippines
Torrential rains dampen life in most parts of Metro Manila
Weather pattern causes massive flooding, disrupts flight schedules
- By Gilbert P. Felongco, Correspondent
- Published: 00:00 July 26, 2010
- Image Credit: AP
- People wade through a flooded street after a sudden heavy downpour in suburban Quezon City, north of Manila, Philippines yesterday. The heavy rain triggered flash floods around metropolitan Manila clogging traffic along major roads in the city.
Manila: Heavy rains caused by a minor weather disturbance led to massive flooding in certain parts of the metropolis, forcing an airline to divert a scheduled landing at the capital to a nearby airport.
According to reports, traffic in some parts of Metro Manila came to a standstill following heavy flooding which in some parts of the metropolis was waist-deep.
A report by ABS-CBN said traffic at Gil Puyat street bordering Makati City and Pasay City stranded dozens of commuters as vehicles got stuck due to floods.
At the Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA), the metropolis' main artery, floods affected not just road traffic but also disrupted the normal course of life during a weekend.
The Metro Manila Development Authority had blamed the flooding on irresponsible disposal of solid waste by the city's residents.
Root cause
According to the state weather forecasting agency, the Pag-asa, the heavy rains were caused by the presence of two low-pressure areas (LPA) over Metro Manila.
The heavy rains not only caused inconvenience to residents in the capital but also forced authorities to divert flights — due for Manila in the afternoon — to nearby Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Central Luzon's Pampanga.
At least 13 domestic and international flights bound for Manila landed instead at the DMIA.
The heavy rains came just less than a week after the government almost declared an emergency due to the absence of rainfall over the Angat Dam, Metro Manila's main water source.
Angat Dam not only provides drinking water for Metro Manila residents but also contributes to a large portion of the metropolis' and nearby provinces' energy requirements.
Likewise, it also provides irrigation to the rice fields of Central Luzon. Just days ago the metropolis' water utility service, Maynilad, was forced to order rotating water service interruptions as Angat Dam reached its critical level.
Deployment
Firetrucks were deployed by authorities as well as volunteers to distribute water to certain areas deprived of it. Although some parts of Metro Manila remain flooded, residents in other areas, ironically, have been dealing with a lack of water supply for several days.
Poor central urban planning and management by various municipal authorities and the central government, has been blamed for Metro Manila's woes.
Metro Manila is a metropolis groaning at its seams.
From a population of 9.93 million in 2000, the National Statistics Coordinating Board said the capital region now has 11 million inhabitants.
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