Two new pumps at the Remedios Pumping Station in Malate are now operational, a development the Department of Public Works and Highways said will help floodwaters recede faster in low-lying parts of Manila.
Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said during an inspection Wednesday that five pumping stations serving the area, namely Abad, Remedios, Padre Faura, Harbor and Luneta, are now fully operational.
Dizon said all five facilities are now connected to Meralco, after previously relying mainly on generator sets. The generators will now serve as backup power sources.
With the pumping stations functioning, the DPWH expects reduced flooding in Malate and nearby areas extending toward Taft Avenue.
Dizon also inspected the detention basin being built beneath Rajah Sulayman Park in front of Malate Church.
The basin, which is designed to hold water equivalent to about one and a half Olympic-sized swimming pools and will be around five meters deep, is intended to help reduce flooding around Remedios Circle and Malate.
Construction is expected to take about six months, with completion targeted for early next year.
