The Japanese-designed retarding basin in Imus, Cavite was inaugurated on Thursday, the Japanese Embassy in Manila said.
The project, designed to mitigate flood damage in low-lying areas, is part of the Flood Risk Management Project for Imus River financed by Japan’s official development assistance.
The Imus Retarding Basin includes an 84-meter overflow dike, standing an average of three meters in height with 1.3 kilometers of surrounding dike and 1.1 kilometers of separating dike.
The Department of Public Works and Highways excavated approximately 2 million cubic meters of soil to unearth seven meters in depth in the 35-hectare land area for the retarding basin.
Retarding basins are being constructed to temporarily store most, if not all, of the rainwater run-off, to absorb and contain flooding in periods of high rain, and later release it at a regulated flow rate.
The project also includes another retarding basin in Bacoor which will be completed by 2021, based on the flood management master plan for Imus River prepared by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
At the inauguration ceremony in Imus, Ambassador Koshikawa Kazuhiko said the proper operation and maintenance of this first retarding basin will serve as a “key in demonstrating its full capability in the long run.”
He later urged local personnel to work together “to make every Caviteño feel safer and more protected from typhoons and flooding.”
Similar flood mitigation projects were also completed at the Cagayan River Basin in Northern Luzon and Tagoloan River Basin in Misamis Oriental with Japan’s assistance to support the Philippines’ disaster preparedness initiatives.
Koshikawa was joined by Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar and Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla during the inauguration.
Source: Philippines News Agency
