Chalssea Kate Echegoyen

Why was flooding so bad in Metro Manila? MMDA cites extreme rain, drainage limits

Pedestrians wade through gutter- to knee-deep floodwaters along España Boulevard in Manila following heavy rains brought by the Southwest Monsoon, or Habagat on Monday, August 17. Daniel Jacob, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178702942422020260817-habagat-flooding-espana-manila-DJ1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Pedestrians wade through gutter- to knee-deep floodwaters along España Boulevard in Manila following heavy rains brought by the Southwest Monsoon, or Habagat on Monday, August 17. <em>Daniel Jacob, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span>MANILA — Extreme rainfall, the limitations of Metro Manila’s flood-control and drainage systems, and persistent garbage problems contributed to the severe flooding that hit the capital, according to Metropolitan Manila Development Authority General Manager Nicolas Torre III.</div><p>Torre said Metro Manila received 201 millimeters of rain in just five hours during the height of the southwest monsoon on Monday, August. 17. </p><p>The downpour caused severe flooding in several parts of the metropolis, including main thoroughfare Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue, where videos showed floodwaters entering buses, while portions of roads in Manila were submerged in nearly waist-deep water.</p><p>But Torre said the flooding could not be attributed to a single cause.</p><p>“Unang cause, ang palagi nating ipo-point out na basura. Pero kasama rin diyan ang lakas at bilis ng ulan,” he said.</p><p>(The first cause is what we always point out: Garbage. But the amount of rain in that little time is also a factor.)</p><p>He also pointed to the design of Metro Manila’s waterways and flood-control systems.</p><p>He said earlier Metro Manila flood-control design work used a two-day rainfall duration because engineers did not expect major flood-producing storms to last more than 48 hours.</p><p>But he said Monday’s rainfall was concentrated within just a few hours, overwhelming the drainage system.</p><p>“Our waterways are not designed or fashioned or they’re not equipped to hold this amount of rainfall,” he said.</p><p>Torre said climate change, changes in land use and the reduced capacity of soil to absorb water have also altered the conditions under which existing flood-control infrastructure operates.</p><p>“So many other factors may have already changed in the operational environment,” he said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>WHY EDSA FLOODED</strong></div><p>Torre said the flooding on EDSA was also linked to a network of smaller waterways that can quickly become overwhelmed during intense rainfall.</p><p>These waterways overflowed as the rain fell faster than the drainage system could carry the water away.</p><p>“Sobrang bilis talaga, malakas talaga ang ulan at hindi kaagad ma-whisk away ng mga kanal at mga esteros natin at mga laterals ‘yung floodwaters,” Torre said.</p><p>(The rain came too quickly, there was so much and our canals and esteros could not whisk away the floodwaters)</p><p>He said this resulted in standing water, particularly in low-lying areas such as underneath the Santolan flyover. Floodwaters in the area reportedly reached nearly waist-deep levels.</p><p>Torre said, however, that the water receded quickly after the heaviest rainfall stopped.</p><p>He said the quick drainage indicated that the system was still functioning, although it had been temporarily overwhelmed by the volume of rain.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>GARBAGE ADDS PRESSURE</strong></div><p>Aside from rainfall, Torre said garbage remains a major problem affecting Metro Manila’s waterways.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/18/garbage-left-behind-as-floodwaters-subside-in-manila-1000"><strong>Garbage left behind as floodwaters subside in Manila</strong></a></div><p>He said the government is responsible for establishing an effective system for the collection, hauling and disposal of waste but residents also have a responsibility to follow proper waste-management practices.</p><p>“Obligasyon ng gobyerno na gumawa ng sistema sa collection, hauling and disposal ng basura na ito,” he said, acknowledging &quot;there are still things that have to be done.&quot;</p><p>(It is the government&#x27;s duty to implement a system of garbage collection, hauling and disposal)</p><p>Torre said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has pushed for waste-to-energy projects as an alternative way of managing the country’s growing waste problem.</p><p>In the meantime, he said, residents should help reduce the burden on the waste-management system by following basic rules such as segregation and recycling.</p><p>But Torre acknowledged that proper waste disposal can be difficult in some densely populated and low-income communities.</p><p>“In many areas that are very poor, itong urban settler areas, wala namang basurahan sa marami doon,” he said.</p><p>(In many very poor areas, there aren&#x27;t a lot of proper waste disposal areas.)</p><p>He added that, unlike in other countries that have trash bins on every block, Metro Manila&#x27;s are few and far between.</p><p>Torre said Metro Manila generates around 10,000 tons of garbage per day, placing additional pressure on the waste-management system.</p><p>The problem becomes more complicated in densely populated communities where garbage trucks cannot enter narrow roads, he added.</p><p>As a workaround, local governments publish schedules telling residents when and where to bring out their garbage so collection trucks can pick it up. But he said this system can be difficult to implement in communities that lack space for materials recovery facilities and other waste-management infrastructure.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>PUMPING STATIONS</strong></div><p>Waste also threatens the operation of Metro Manila’s pumping stations.</p><p>Torre said the MMDA regularly maintains its pumping stations, but garbage can cause equipment to malfunction when it enters the system.</p><p>When garbage gets past the trash rake and reaches the pump’s impeller, he said it can cause longer downtime.</p><p>The MMDA uses trash traps upstream of pumping stations to prevent waste from reaching the equipment, but Torre said these can also be overwhelmed by large amounts of garbage.</p><p>“Kung talagang walang patumangga na pati refrigerator na sila ay nandiyan sa ating waterways,” he said.</p><p>(Sometimes, people throw even their refrigerator down the waterways)</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>ADDRESSING THE GARBAGE PROBLEM</strong></div><p>Torre said addressing the garbage problem requires more than simply telling residents to dispose of waste properly.</p><p>He cited the concept of a “nudge,” where the environment is designed to encourage people to behave in a certain way.</p><p>For Metro Manila, this could mean installing more accessible garbage collection points and ensuring that communities have functioning waste-management facilities.</p><p>“I would think there should be just more massive trash portals everywhere,” Torre said.</p><p>He also called for stricter implementation of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, which requires local governments to establish systems for proper waste segregation, collection and disposal.</p><p>For now, Torre said Metro Manila must maximize the capacity of its existing flood-control infrastructure.</p><p>“Stop-gap measures. We make do with what we have,” he said.</p><p>“We make sure that all the designed and existing flood control mitigation measures at saka ang ating waterways ay 100% muna. That they’re working, they’re clean,” he added.</p><p>But he acknowledged that long-term solutions require reassessing infrastructure designed for conditions that have since changed.</p><p>As the southwest monsoon continues to bring heavy rains, Torre said Metro Manila faces the need to address both immediate maintenance problems and longer-term weaknesses in its flood-control and waste-management systems.</p><div><strong><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/18/lacson-trillions-spent-on-flood-control-since-2011-but-where-is-master-plan-1232">Lacson: Trillions spent on flood control since 2011, but where is master plan?</a></strong></div><div><strong></strong><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hKOWVounX0s?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RFPHw-w0TMg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>Extreme rainfall, the limitations of Metro Manila’s existing flood-control and drainage systems, and persistent garbage problems contributed to the severe flooding that hit the capital, according to Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) General Manager Nicolas Torre III.</p>

Extreme rainfall, the limitations of Metro Manila’s existing flood-control and drainage systems, and persistent garbage problems contributed to the severe flooding that hit the capital, according to Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) General Manager Nicolas Torre III.