Thirteen additional pumping stations are expected to be operational in Metro Manila by the end of the year or early 2027 as the government moves to improve the capital region’s flood-control capacity, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Thursday.

Marcos said the pumping stations are being installed in and around Manila, with most of the projects already in place.

“We are already installing additional pumping stations,” Marcos said. “Altogether we have 13 additional pumping stations which should have been placed by the end of this year or the beginning of next year, most of them should be in place already.”

The president, however, said additional pumping stations alone would not resolve Metro Manila’s flooding problems, particularly because of garbage clogging waterways and drainage systems.

“That does not solve our problem with garbage,” Marcos said, adding that the government was looking for environmentally friendly ways to dispose of waste.

The government has been pursuing measures to improve drainage and flood-control infrastructure in Metro Manila, one of the country’s most flood-prone urban areas.

Marcos said addressing waste disposal would be necessary alongside infrastructure projects to help reduce flooding in the capital.