Mounds of uncollected garbage in Metro Manila have made their way to the sewers, rendering some flood water pumping stations useless at the height of the rainy season, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) revealed Sunday as rains flooded the parts of the metropolis.

MMDA Chairman Oscar Inocentes said the MMDA’s floodwater pumping stations all over Metro Manila have been overwhelmed by accumulated garbage, which came from different creeks and other waterways.

“These pumping stations are critical in preventing floods. If we don’t collect these tons of accumulated garbage every day, there is a danger that it will clog some important machinery, causing malfunction,” Inocentes said.

The Flood Control Management Service reported that 1,674 cubic meters of garbage have been left uncollected at various pumping stations of the MMDA as of July 22, 2010.

The pumping stations in San Andres, Manila, and Tripa de Gallina in Pasay City have the biggest volume of accumulated waste at 405 cubic meters and 318 cu.m., respectively.

Unless the indiscriminate dumping of wastes in drainages and waterways is stopped, Metro Manila will soon sink under hundreds of tons of uncollected garbage, Inocentes warned.

MMDA officials said that the agency is suffering from a two-week backlog in the hauling of garbage from the 19 major pumping stations of the MMDA.

“It is very unfortunate that we have not learned from our experiences during the typhoon Ondoy. We keep dumping garbage anywhere, not knowing that every piece of litter we throw in the streets, canals, and rivers end up in our pumping stations,” Inocentes said.

He lamented that during times of floods, the government gets all the blame.

MMDA General Manager Robert Nacianceno said they will initially hire ten more dump trucks to help in the hauling of garbage from various pumping stations.

He said the MMDA’s own fleet of trucks is inadequate to address the two-week collection backlog.

“We are appealing to the public again to practice proper waste disposal. This is the least we could contribute to help prevent floods,” Nacianceno said.

The MMDA, he said, has started talks with the LGUs in Metro Manila to compel them to strictly enforce anti-littering regulations in their jurisdictions.