Manila Water has a solution to flooding in Marikina: flood-proof sewage treatment plants

The project is targeted to be completed by October.

Manila Water has been working to improve flood resiliency of its facilities built near the Marikina River in an effort to ensure that flooding would not disrupt nor endanger the operations of the facilities, particularly the Olandes Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) and Marikina North STP.

“We are implementing this project to mitigate the effects of upcoming typhoon and flooding in the city since it is situated on a flood-prone area having been built beside the Marikina River,” Plant Manager Patrick Casal said.  

Casal mentioned that typhoons Ondoy and Ulysses caused the Marikina River to rise to the critical level of 22 meters, causing a 4-meter flood inside the Olandes STP and hampering its operations.  

“We ensure that the design itself conducted by the engineering team and proponent is flood resilient. We raised the diesel tank to prevent the reach of recorded flood levels. The basement ingress will be completely enclosed and with a submarine door as entry, allowing no flood to enter,” Construction Manager Diane Dionisio affirmed.  

The basement ingress and the submarine door will be subject to flood and pressure test to mimic flood and assure door will be flood resilient. The project is targeted to be completed this October.  

Another important Manila Water facility affected by typhoon Ulysses is the Marikina North Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at Nangka, Marikina. The pool of equipment and wiring of the plant were raised as well to prevent breakage in case an inevitable flooding may happen.  

Manila Water is retrofitting its Olandes Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) to withstand floods caused by overflowing of nearby Marikina River. Even when the river rises 20 meters above its normal level, operations of the facility will not be interrupted nor hampered.