EDITORIAL - Ready for the rainy season

Flights were delayed or diverted to Clark International Airport in Pampanga after the runway at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport was shut down for several hours on Tuesday. The reason: a large pothole had emerged at runway 06-24, and emergency repair took most of the afternoon. The pothole in the asphalt pavement was reportedly seven meters long, 2.5 meters wide and two inches deep. NAIA authorities said they could not risk the safety of flights and had to temporarily close the runway.

Airport officials attributed the pothole to the normal wear and tear of flight operations. But it surely was not just coincidence that the pothole appeared after several days of downpours in the prelude to the official onset of the rainy season.

Potholes are ubiquitous in Metro Manila and other areas during the rainy season. Do they also have to be common sights in the nation’s premier airport? This is not the first time that runway damage has disrupted flights at the NAIA. While asphalt pavement does not last forever, especially in a tropical country frequently hit by torrential rains, pavement can be made more durable.

Potholes in many Metro Manila roads can be attributed to substandard materials, work quality or both. These in turn have been blamed on politicians who have turned road projects into sources of commissions, undermining vetting of contractors and weakening control over the quality of the nation’s road network.

Disintegrating pavement is one of the problems that bedevil the country during heavy rains. The potholes worsen traffic jams in Metro Manila and other urban centers. By this time, waterways should have been dredged and cleared of illegal settlers along the banks. Drainage systems should have been cleared of garbage.

With weather forecasters declaring the official start of the rainy season, both national and local government authorities must be prepared to respond quickly to problems arising from heavy rains and flooding, including damaged roads and a spike in water-borne diseases such as dengue. Traffic aides should be ready for deployment during gridlocks such as the one that hit Metro Manila during a downpour the other day during the evening rush hour. That gridlock showed the lack of preparedness as the rainy season starts.