THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said it plans to build a detention basin near the Andres Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan to reduce flooding at the Balintawak Cloverleaf and downstream areas in Quezon City.
Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon said Thursday that the proposed facility that would temporarily store excess rainwater during heavy downpours could reduce flooding not only along EDSA but also in areas near G. Araneta Avenue.
He said the Balintawak detention basin's capacity could be at least half that of its planned counterpart in Bonifacio Global City, depending on the right-of-way that the government can secure.
Dizon said the DPWH would collaborate with the Quezon City government on the design while Prime Infra Capital would implement the construction.
Dizon said the project could be completed before the next rainy season if the necessary right-of-way is secured.
The project would be augmented with dredging of waterways and installation of pumps to remove floodwater.
Dizon said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the DPWH to coordinate with the country’s water concessionaires to study the feasibility of recycling and treating floodwater for domestic use.
“The water that we store will not just be wasted and thrown into the esteros. If possible, we will ask our water concessionaires to take the stored water so it can be used as potable water,” Dizon said.
Under the proposal, water collected in a detention basin could be redirected to the treatment facilities of Manila Water or Maynilad, where it could undergo treatment before being supplied for household use.
Dizon said the approach would address two problems at the same time — reducing flooding while allowing collected rainwater to be put to productive use.
