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Rehabilitation of the Flood Control Operation and
Warning System in Metro Manila 1.
Background
Flooding is becoming more serious problem in Metro
Manila and suburbs continuously brought about by rapid urban expansion,
inadequate river channel capacities, and insufficient equipment for maintenance
for existing drainage facilities, which have been continuously clogged by
squatting and garbage dumping.
Although flood control
programs are indispensable, structural measures are very insufficient. Non-structural measures such as the
effective operation of flood control structures, warning system, land use
regulation, etc. are important and urgent to prevent or mitigate flood disaster
in Metro Manila. The DPWH implemented the
non-structural project (Nationwide Flood Control and Dredging Project, Part B,
an Effective Flood Control Operation System including Telemetering and Flood
Warning System in the Pasig-Marikina-Laguna Lake Complex: the EFCOS Project)
financed by OECF and completed in 1993. With the EFCOS Project,
the real time rainfall/water level data in the Pasig-Marikina River and Laguna
Lake are monitored at the Rosario Master Control Station, Napindan Hydraulic
Control Structure (NHCS), head office of NCR – DPWH, DPWH Central Office and
Data Information Center (DIC) of PAGASA through the telemetry and multiplex
communication systems. These offices
can exchange meteorological and flood information via the multiplex
communication system (telephone and facsimile). Before the completion of
the EFCOS, the Rosario Weir for the flood diversion into the Laguna Lake
through Mangahan Floodway was operated based on the on-site observation of the
water level of Marikina River at the Rosario Weir. With the EFCOS, through the weather forecast and flood
information, real time hydrological data and analysis, the Rosario Master
Control Station can estimate and determine the effective flood diversion
operation at Rosario Weir. It also
enables the effective gate operation of NHCS, which is another inlet/outlet
gate of Laguna Lake. Warning system
along the Mangahan Floodway is provided to prevent man-made calamity in
consideration of the abrupt rises of the water level in the Mangahan Floodway. The EFCOS is presently an
important component for the Metro Manila flood control project. Generally, however, the system has been
deficient for the monitoring of flooding conditions because the observation
network does not keep up with the rapid urbanization. In addition, the improvement of data transmission devices in
recent years has rendered most of the existing EFCOS facilities obsolete. Taking these into consideration, the
Philippine Government formulated the rehabilitation project to improve and
enhance the overall function of EFCOS.
The project was implemented with financial assistance from the Japanese
Grant-Aid Assistance Program, and was completed in 2002. 2. Objectives The existing EFCOS system
was designed in 1985 as an analogue telemetry system and is practically unable
to function as a flood forecasting system.
At present, the data is input manually into the computer to calculate
water discharge and therefore no time allowance is made to provide for advanced
flood information. Furthermore, the
hydrological observation network is inadequate for the Pasig-Marikina river
basin. To cope with small to
medium sized floods, it is absolutely necessary to collect as many data as
possible in the objective river basin to establish a proper flood forecasting
system. It should be noted that with the
spread of mobile phones in Metro Manila, radio communication has become hardly
usable particularly at flood time due to severe interference. Taking the above into
consideration, the GOP has formulated a project to improve and enhance the
overall function of the existing EFCOS system and made a request to the GOJ for
its implementation under Japan’s Grant Aid Program. The plan includes: (1) Installation
of hydrological observation stations for collecting more accurate data on
rainfall and water level; (2) Introduction
of the digitized telemetry system as well as on-line data processing system by
computers; and (3) Deployment
of radio communication equipment at the pumping stations along the Pasig River
as a means of strengthening flood control management. 3. Study
Area The project encompasses
the entire Metro Manila area including the Manggahan Floodway and the Napindan Channel which drains into Laguna Lake
and the Pasig-Marikina River Basin. 4. Recommendations
of the Study Generally, the study had
recommended the following: (1)
The construction of hydrological observation stations (2)
The installation of digitized telemetry system as well as
on-line data processing system; and (3)
The introduction of a flood forecasting system. The data collected and
computed as such is converted into visual images for display. In addition, the radio communications system
needs to be installed at the pumping stations, LGUs and other agencies
concerned for sharing flood forecasting information. With regard to the proper
operation of the established system under the grant aid, technical guidance
services need to be provided to the Philippine counterparts through on-site
on-the-job training and lectures. The system expansion of
the EFCOS towards the Laguna Lake basin was excluded from this project. However, a study to determine the necessity
of future system expansion was made. 5. References
/ Contact Persons / Concerned Agencies Nonito F. Fano Project Director,
PMO-MFCP-I Department of Public Works
and Highways Port Area, Manila Tel. No.: 304-3643 304-3829 |
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