The National Economic and Development Authority’s Investment Coordination Committee (Neda-ICC) has approved a $500-million project aimed at preventing flooding in Metro Manila which would be co-financed by the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
The Metro Manila Flood Management Project was originally approved by this administration under World Bank financing. It was, however, decided to have AIIB co-finance it.
“It was approved by the ICC (on May 17), and it will go up to the Neda Board,” Neda Undersecretary Rolando G. Tungpalan said in an interview.
The Neda Board, chaired by the President, is tentatively scheduled to meet on June 13.
Documents showed that the Philippines in March sought funding of $150 million from the AIIB for the Metro Manila Flood Management Project.
The government is planning to source another $150 million from the World Bank, $192.6 million from the national budget and $7.4 million from the Global Environmental Facility.
The AIIB is expected to approve its counterpart funding for the project by June, documents showed.
The project will be implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Metro Manila Development Authority.
It will be implemented from July this year to December 2023.
The project was aimed at improving flood management in selected Metro Manila areas by constructing new and modernizing existing selected pumping stations and their supporting infrastructure. It also covers the improvement of solid waste management practices within the vicinity of drainage systems served by the selected pumping stations and by supporting the resettlement of project affected people.
The project, according to documents, will focus on 56 potentially critical drainage areas with a land area of about 11,100 hectares or over 17 percent of the total area of Metro Manila. This will include an area covered by new pumping stations of about 2,900 hectares, with population of some 970,000 people or about 210,000 households, according to the project summary information.
The government of the Philippines—after the widespread destruction caused by tropical storm “Ondoy” (internationally named Ketsana) in 2009—stepped up efforts to improve flood management in Manila to make it a safer place for its inhabitants. —BEN O. DE VERA