THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said it has ordered the accelerated dredging and widening of waterways in Marikina City and surrounding areas to mitigate flooding. “The government is working to expedite waterway improvement. Once completed, floodwaters are likely to recede faster,” said Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon after an inspection of the Marikina River flood control project. According to Dizon, the completion of works at Sumulong Drainage, Balanti Creek, and the Manila Water site — along with the resolution of right-of-way issues affecting Phase V of the Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project (PMRCIP) — will help accelerate the movement of water into the river, allowing floodwaters in Marikina to subside more quickly. “We need to complete these projects as quickly as possible. Right now, we are dredging waterways, repairing gaps in the dikes, and fixing drainage systems to ensure that water moves more quickly toward the rivers. All of these efforts must be carried out simultaneously and with urgency,” he said. Dizon said the DPWH is undergoing similar works across the country in line with government efforts to address perennial flooding in Metro Manila and other low-lying areas. The DPWH chief has created a task force, Oplan Kontra Baha, in coordination with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the private sector to institutionalize the government’s clearing and cleaning efforts for all waterways. Earlier, the DPWH completed a larger drainage project on G. Araneta Avenue in Quezon City to alleviate flooding in the area as part of the Oplan Kontra Baha program. Dizon said the drainage at G. Araneta is three times larger, adding that he has also ordered the installation of mobile pumps while the pumping station at E. Rodriguez is unfinished, as well as the continuous dredging and cleaning of the San Juan River. “The president said we need to speed up the work because come June, it will rain again, there will be flooding again. So now, that’s what we are really doing; our work is continuous so that we can ensure that these projects are completed quickly,” he added. Dizon said the Oplan Kontra Baha program is in accordance with the directive of the president to mitigate flooding in prone areas in Metro Manila, including Metro Cebu and Bacolod City in the Negros Island Region, among others. “Oplan Kontra Baha not only focuses on dredging, but also includes the implementation of science-based projects, clearing of illegal structures in waterways, and the strict enforcement of proper solid waste management in collaboration with local government units,” he said. In the first week of December, the DPWH-NCR recorded 1,474.18 cubic meters of declogging, while 3,795.64 cubic meters of desilting of waterways in various areas has been completed. Dizon assured that with each week of Oplan Kontra Baha, the public can expect the DPWH to continue to focus on making communities in the NCR safer and more orderly. Dizon noted that the DPWH is keen to complete several infrastructure projects between 2026 and 2027 that have been stalled for the past four to five years.