With the perennial rise of the Marikina River, especially during typhoon season, which often causes it to breach its banks, Manila Water continues to improve the flood resiliency of its facilities built near the river 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.
Olandes STP, which began operations in 2010, treats wastewater coming from Sitio Olandes, Brgy. Industrial Valley Complex in Marikina City and Barangays Blue Ridge A and B and Libis in Quezon City, covering nearly 48,000 population.
“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.
