By Christopher Lloyd T. Caliwan
MANILA, (PNA) — Chairman Francis Tolentino of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Sunday proposed the establishment of a drainage bureau that will supervise drainage-related efforts of the government.
“I am proposing that there should be a drainage bureau that will maintain our drainage systems,” Tolentino said during the agency’s weekly radio program.
The MMDA Chief said the bureau will oversee and maintain not only the drainage-related efforts of the agency but by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and local government units (LGUS) in Metro Manila as well.
Metro Manila, at present, has 8,097 kilometer drainage lines.
Tolentino said he got the idea from the Bureau of Drainage Services in Hong Kong that has been effective in addressing flooding in the said territory.
He explained that the idea is that there should be one office to converge all initiatives from MMDA, DPWH, the LGUs that will supervise and coordinate the parties’ drainage-related efforts, operations and maintenance.
He also sees the need to have a program of work design for all drainages in the metropolis.
The MMDA chief stressed that it is better to have a single agency in order to effectively address the problems of Metro Manila’s drainage system.
“Kasi pag isang drainage natin pumalya, lahat apektado na. Kung isang office lang maghahandle we can better address urban street flooding,” Tolentino said.