DPWH lines up more than 5k in flood control projects

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will implement more than 5,000 flood control projects as part of its engineering interventions in the country’s principal rivers.

In a press briefing in Malacañang on Tuesday, DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said they presented to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. the measures undertaken by DPWH “to mitigate the flooding problems all over the country and, in particular, we focus also on the Metro Manila area.”

A sectoral meeting was held in Malacañang earlier Tuesday to discuss the preparations for La Niña and the control measures in flood-prone areas.

Bonoan noted that since the Marcos administration took over in July 2022 to May 2024, about 5,521 projects were accomplished or completed.

“These projects, I have to clarify, many of these projects also started way back in previous administrations, but these were projects that we have to continue because these were delayed because of the pandemic and other factors,” Bonoan said.

The figure includes 3,107 completed projects which were started years earlier. A total of 2,414 flood control projects were started and completed from 2022 to 2024.

Of the completed projects, most were in Region III (838 projects), National Capital Region (656 projects), Region V (513 projects), Region I (453 projects), and Region IV-A (435 projects).

During the sectoral meeting, Bonoan said he also informed the President that more than 5,000 flood control projects will be implemented.

“In continuing with the flood control projects all over the country, we are going to continue to implement another… more than 5,000 flood control projects,” he said.

These projects are the immediate engineering interventions in the principal rivers because the public works department is also implementing flood control management programs in the 18 major river basins throughout the country, including Metro Manila, Bonoan said.

For Metro Manila, the DPWH has the Pasig-Marikina Flood Control Management System.

Bonoan further noted that President Marcos has directed DPWH to “consider actually not only the flow of floodwaters but also to impound initially the floodwaters in the watershed areas and this is a very important component that we need to address at this point in time.”

“And I think, basically, this is the solution that will impede actually the flow of floodwaters down to the low-lying areas,” he added.