IMUS CITY, Cavite (PIA) — Marked by land conversion and flooding due to heavy rains, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have formally turned over the Retarding Basin project to the City of Imus.
During the turnover ceremony of the Imus Retarding Basin on September 1, Mayor Alex Advincula expressed his optimism that the project will lessen rain-induced flooding especially during monsoon seasons.
“Napakalaking tulong nito [dahil] matagal na itong project nina Sec. Jonvic [Remulla] at Sec. Vince [Dizon]. Ricefield kasi lahat dito. Ngayon, nagkaroon ng maraming subdivision,” Advincula said.
Over the years, Imus City saw expansive land conversions where rice fields were transformed into subdivisions and housing projects which slowly contributed to the increasing flooding especially in communities near rivers.
“Dahil sa mga subdivision, mabilis nang bumaba ang tubig papuntang ulong kaya nagkaroon ng retarding basin na ito na napakalaking tulong to hold the water,” the mayor added.
Designed to solve flooding problems in the province, Dizon noted that the Imus Retarding Basin will hold excess water and prevent rivers from overflowing.
“Dahil nga ‘yung tubig sa main river, sa Imus River, ay mayroon nang pinupuntahan at hindi na nag-o-overflow sa mga kalye, sa mga bahay, sa mga komunidad. Dito na iimbak at wala nang halo na baha sa areas ng Imus na dati ay [umaabot] hanggang dibdib,” the Public Works and Highways secretary said.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Remulla, who, in his tenure as Cavite governor saw the retarding basin project at its early stages, expressed his hopes that the project can be replicated in other parts of the country.
“This was technology perfected in Japan, and the Japanese government generously provided us with. Kung magagawa lang natin sa buong Pilipinas ito, sa lahat ng mga grabeng binabaha, mawawala ang baha dito sa Pilipinas. Pero kailangang magkaisa tayo mula local hanggang national,” he said.
Funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the 35-hectare Imus Retarding Basin expansion includes an 84-meter overflow dike whose surrounding dike stands at an average of 1.3 kilometers, and a 1.1-kilometer separating dike. It aims to make flood-prone areas in the province more resilient during the rainy season.
It can hold up to 1.12 million cubic meters of rainwater, or equivalent to 448 Olympic-size swimming pools. (PB-PIA CALABARZON)
