MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said that while weather forecasters have yet to formally declare the start of the rainy season, the agency has begun crafting measures for the 80 flood-prone areas in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Among the flood-prone areas were Taft Avenue in Manila and Araneta Avenue in Quezon City.

MMDA Chairman Romando Artes said that streets get flooded during heavy rains because of trash and a small drainage system.

He said the MMDA will coordinate with the local government units for a massive clean-up drive.

"We have cleared a total of 199,571 linear meters from January 1 to May 12. In 2023 we were able to clean 525,000 linear meters. People might wonder why the drainage systems are still clogged despite continuous declogging efforts. The problem is, improper dumping of solid waste is also unceasing, and eventually trash ends up in the drainage," he said in Filipino.

Artes said the MMDA will initiate the placing of trash traps.

The MMDA said that all of the 71 pumping stations in the NCR are working, and 30 of them are undergoing upgrading.