Some 2,070 families squatting along the stretch of Mangahan Floodway and Napindan Channel, respectively, are bound to face yet another upheaval as their houses will be demolished for faster floodwater drainage.

Public Works Undersecretary Romeo Momo, who is in charge of Luzon operations, said they have requested concerned local government units on the eviction of informal settlers to clear the passageway from any illegal structures that obstruct the flow of water around the metropolis.

“This is the marching order given to us by President Arroyo so we have to remove all the obstruction if necessary to maximize the utilization of our river banks… so the dredging may eventually take place anytime,” he said in an interview.

Momo said he is hoping for the best that the local government will give their full support to the speedy relocation of the informal settlers given that it will not only drain floodwater but will also prevent further damages to be brought about by weather disturbances.

The floodway of Napindan Channel reportedly serves as a catch basin where accumulated rain water from Metro Manila should stream while the Mangahan waterway reduces flooding along the Pasig River and flushes out floodwater of the Marikina River into Laguna de Bay.

Last September 26, both water channels overflowed when tropical storm Ondoy dumped the heaviest rainfall on Metro Manila in the last four decades and contributed to the massive flooding of large tracts of Marikina and Pasig City.

On a related development, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will revive the mothballed construction of Manila Bay-Laguna Lake Spillway project to ease flooding in Metro Manila as the agency also puts in its drawing board a comprehensive flood-control plan.