Floodgate motor failure swamps Iloilo streets

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Iloilo City government attributed the high-tide flooding along Valeria and Jalandoni streets in City Proper on Monday, May 18, to the breakdown of a floodgate motor at the Jalandoni pumping station.

Marlon Macahilo, chief of the Motorpool Division of the City Engineer’s Office, told Daily Guardian that the motor drive operating the floodgate was damaged Saturday after overheating and was pulled out for repair.

He said the damage stemmed from a malfunctioning limit switch, a component designed to signal the motor to stop once the floodgate reaches a designated level.

“During that time, the limit switch malfunctioned. Normally, once the floodgate reached the set level, the motor drive would shut off. But because the limit switch failed, the signal to stop was not sent, so the motor kept running. As a result, it overheated and burned out,” he said in a phone interview.

Macahilo said the motor’s coil was damaged and needed rewinding after it burned out.

“They rewinded it because the coil was burned,” he said, adding that the team aimed to reinstall the repaired motor by Monday afternoon.

Macahilo said pumping operations remain constrained without the floodgate motor because the system cannot fully function without the mechanical drive.

“We cannot pump out if we do not have a motor there because now our floodgate is just open, and the water, when it is high tide, enters our pumping station, and when we pump out, it will be just useless because it will just be a cycle,” he said.

He said the City Engineer’s Office regularly maintains the gears and shafting of floodgate systems and conducts pre-operation checks on motors and generators, particularly during non-high-tide periods.

Macahilo noted that some areas remain vulnerable to flooding because of the absence of floodgates or outfall controls.

He warned that water intrusion is likely in low-lying communities during peak tidal conditions.

“It is possible that there will be areas that will get flooded, especially if these areas are low-lying. There is a tendency that if it is high tide, water will seep in,” he said.

Among the areas potentially affected are portions of the University of San Agustin, Valeria Street, the SM City Delgado area, roads leading to Atrium Mall, and sections near the Iloilo Terminal Market.

Macahilo added that pumping stations equipped with floodgate systems are operational in Muelle Loney, the University of San Agustin area, Zamora-Melliza in City Proper, Don Esteban in Lapuz, and Calahunan in Sooc, Arevalo.

High-tide flooding has long affected portions of Iloilo City, particularly low-lying areas near waterways and drainage outlets.

The city government has invested in pumping stations and flood mitigation infrastructure to reduce the impact of storm surges and tidal intrusion.