CITY OF MEYCAUAYAN—At least eleven believed heavily clogged waterways, mostly creeks in this city and in adjacent Valenzuela City, Metro Manila which had been causing severe flooding along the North Luzn Exprsway (NLEX) during recent strong typhoons Crising, Edgar and Emong and the southwest monsoon are now being dredged by the government and the NLEX Corporation.
The dredging, clean-up and clearing of Paso de Blas Creek Upstream of NLEX, Mapulang Lupa Creek Up and Downstream of NLEX, Paso de Blas Creek Outfall of Pump, Paso de Blas Creek, L San Diego, Canumay West, Mapulang Lupa Creek Downstream (near Unioil Maysan Road), Paseo de Blas Cree, T Santiago, Canumay West, Ilangilang Creek Barangay Maysan, R Jacinto Creek Barangay Maysan, T Santiago Creek Lingunan, Viente Reales Creek, Creek at Barangay Tugatog-Caingin, Meycauayan started on August 4.
NLEX has been deploying 120 personnel daily, with equipment needed for the clean-up—amphibious backhoe, backhoe on barge, boom trucks, dump trucks, and a generator set to help accelerate the clearing works.
In a press release on Sunday, NLEX said the clearing up is being hastened to improve water flow ahead of inclement weather conditions.
Secretary Vince Dizon of the Deprtment of Transportation (DOTr) initiated the clean-up drive. He called an inter-agency coordination meeting on Aug. 2 together with NLEX, Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the local government units (LGUs) of Valenzuela and Meycauayan, and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to continue to address flood risks in specific areas of the expressway and the two LGUs.
NLEX said that the project is now in full swing to address flooding in the areas. Portions of NLEX in the said areas became unpassable during recent typhoon Crising and southwest monsoon rains.
Nearly half a kilometer along northbound and southbound lanes of NLEX in Valenzuela City had been under 1 meter level of lood for moe than 5 ours from 6:40 pm to 12:20 am on July 21 due to the strong rains.
NLEX said they are regularly conducting inspections on the clearing to check the progress of the works.
During typhoon Carina last year, both the nortbound and the southbound lanes of Valenzuela and Meycauayan were sent also became not passable for several hours because of the flooding in the area. Marilao section was also not passable on its northbound area.
Dizon, joined by NLEX OIC and Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Luis Reñon, MPTC Chief Regulatory Officer Arrey Perez, Toll Regulatory Board Executive Director Jay Art Tugade, and Valenzuela City Mayor Wes Gatchalian had inspected one of the identified critical areas in Valenzuela prior to the start of the clean-up operations.
“This is an all out effort of all the stakeholders—NLEX, City of Valenzuela, DOTr, DPWH. This an altogether work, this must be done in one simuktaneous effort. We do not know when the strong rains will pour again. So we have to take advantage of the improved weather for this project. We need to address the flooding so that it woud not happen again,” Dizon said.
NLEX OIC and MPTC CFO, thanked the DOTr for leading the initiative and for considering the expressway’s ideas for immediate flooding solutions.
Aside from the clearing operations, NLEX Corporation` ramped up its multi-layered flood control defense to enhance protection against flooding along its expressway network. The tollway company remains committed in pursuing long-term solutions, working closely with government partners, that will benefit both its motorists and the surrounding communities.
NLEX Corporation is a subsidiary MPTC, the toll road arm of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC).
