Valenzuela eyes water catchment basin

MANILA, Philippines — To help ease flooding along MacArthur Highway, the Valenzuela City government is building an underground water catchment basin capable of storing up to 5,000 cubic meters of rainwater, Mayor Wes Gatchalian said yesterday.

Gatchalian said the Panatag catchment basin, the city’s first facility, is being constructed along MacArthur Highway underneath the North-South Commuter Railway in partnership with the departments of transportation as well as public works and highways.

The project is expected to address flooding along a stretch of MacArthur Highway 200 to 300 meters long.

“The catchment basin is our solution to the flooding in that area,” Gatchalian said in an interview with dzMM.

He said the basin is about five meters wide, one kilometer long and five to six meters deep, giving it the capacity to hold around 5,000 cubic meters of floodwaters.

Gatchalian said the city government secured the space beneath the railway through its partnership with the Department of Transportation, noting that the area could be utilized for the flood control facility.

The mayor said Valenzuela has seen a marked improvement in flooding compared to previous years, when even a day of rain could leave portions of MacArthur Highway inundated.

Gatchalian described the catchment basin as one of the city’s flood management projects funded by the local government amid lessons learned from previous typhoons.

He said the city plans to use the facility to help manage excess rainwater and keep major roads passable during heavy downpours.