Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte tapped the city’s 142 barangays to help augment flood mitigation efforts of the local and national governments under the city’s “Tanggal Bara, Iwas Baha” program.
With the rainy season in full swing, Belmonte instructed all Quezon City villages to prioritize the clean-up of clogged drainage systems, sewers and street inlets, manholes and interceptors.
“The city government cannot do it alone. We need all the help of our communities led by our barangay councils to mitigate rainwater overflow and flooding in our streets,” the mayor said.
“This can be achieved through regular maintenance of drainage systems in their respective jurisdictions,” Belmonte added.
The city government identified barangays Del Monte, Masambong, Bagong Silangan, Dona Imelda, Roxas, Tatalon and Apolonio Samson as flood-prone areas, saying these villages suffered the most during the onslaught of the southwest monsoon and Typhoon “Carina.”
Through the “Tanggal Bara, Iwas Baha” program, it is hoped that despite the additional volume of rainwater brought about by climate change, floodwaters in those areas would recede more swiftly.
The program is a joint initiative of the Quezon City Departments of Engineering, Barangay and Community Relations, Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability, and Sanitation and Cleanup Works.
Based on data from the QC Engineering Department (QCED), the QC conducted 647 de-clogging operations between January to September 2024. The sludge collected through these efforts was enough to fill 50 garbage trucks.
In 2023, Quezon City implemented 61 flood control projects consisting of road and drainage projects and waterways infrastructure.
The QCED also implements green engineering initiatives through 224 rainwater harvesting systems and 148 proposed floodwater detention basins.
The city is currently upgrading its drainage system in line with its Comprehensive Drainage Master Plan crafted in partnership with the University of the Philippines-Resilience Institute.
