Maynilad, the private water concessionaire for the West Zone, worked hand-in-hand with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to clear the streets of Provident Village in Marikina of muddy water and debris, after floods that rose to 15 feet during the height of Ondoy stranded residents in their roofs and claimed 59 lives in the village.
A Maynilad desludging team aboard five of the company’s 10-cubic meter vacuum trucks assisted MMDA last October 22, 23 and 26 in declogging drainages, siphoning floodwater and muck, and making roadways in the village passable once more for people and vehicles.
MMDA also coordinated with Maynilad in dewatering other submerged areas in Marikina including Brgy. Nangka, Marikina Market, and the Marikina City Hall Fountain. Marikina City and nearby areas of Pasig and Rizal are the hardest-hit by the massive floods brought by Ondoy last September 26, 2009.
“We want to help whatever way we can. The delivery of our services may be limited to a predefined zone but our company’s social responsibility is not, and we are more than willing to extend our assistance beyond the borders of our own concession area,†said Maynilad Corporate Affairs and Public Relations Head Cherubim Ocampo.
Aside from its coordination with the MMDA, Maynilad also assisted the City Engineer’s Office of Manila in draining the Quezon Boulevard underpass of floodwater. The company has also distributed more than 12,500 5-gallon containers and 25,000 bottles of potable water, focusing on areas that are short in potable water supply due to floods and damaged infrastructure. A Mobile Water Treatment Plant was also stationed by the water company in Bayambang, Pangasinan, to treat around 1,500 gallons of deepwell water a day for the safe consumption of the affected residents.
Photo shows Maynilad and MMDA personnel flushing a clogged drainage along one of the mud-filled streets in the subdivision.