''El Depósito'' (lit: The Deposit) is an old underground water

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

in the city of San Juan in

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. It was built by the Spanish authorities in 1882 with a capacity of 15 million gallons to provide the residents of

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

and its surrounding areas with adequate water supply. The reservoir was historically known as the site where the onset of the

Philippine Revolution The Philippine Revolution ( or ; or ) was a war of independence waged by the revolutionary organization Katipunan against the Spanish Empire from 1896 to 1898. It was the culmination of the 333-year History of the Philippines (1565–1898), ...

through the Battle of San Juan del Monte took place in 1896.

History

El Depósito was part of the Carriedo Waterworks, which was built from 1878 to 1882 under Genaro Palacios, a Spanish engineer and architect who also decided to use the Marikina River as El Depósito's water source. The underground reservoir held military strategic importance. During the

, the Katipunan attempted to seize El Depósito from Spanish colonial authorities in the Battle of San Juan del Monte in 1896 and it was held by Filipinos during the Philippine-American War. It was used as an arsenal; first by the Americans during their

colonial rule Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an imperialist project, colonialism can also take ...

, then by Imperial Japanese forces as they occupied the Philippines in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It also served as a pulmonary hospital housing

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

patients and as a firing range. El Depósito was recaptured by Allied Forces in 1945, but it later fell to disuse after Philippine independence from the United States was proclaimed in 1946. Efforts to rehabilitate the underground reservoir began in 2016, when the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by List of Philippine laws, Re ...

Archaeological Studies program performed an assessment and excavation of the structure. The National Historical Commission of the Philippines cleaned El Depósito's tunnel in 2018 in preparation for the development of the site as a tourist destination. The rehabilitated reservoir opened to the public on November 30, 2021.

Water Supply

When El Depósito still functioned as a water supply storage, it had a capacity of for 300,000 people. Ventilation shafts kept the water fresh and free from contamination. As part of the Carriedo Waterworks, the reservoir also supplied various hydrants and fountains in Manila. From the main source of the Marikina River, water was pumped to the reservoir through of cast iron pipes passing through the Santolan area. Situated below an elevated hill, the reservoir consists of a vast central channel connecting 25 smaller canals, each measuring high and wide.

Cultural Property

On August 30, 1972, a marker was installed by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines in recognition of El Depósito as a cultural property. In honour of the first battle of the Philippine Revolution, the land around El Depósito was converted into the Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine and Park.

Gallery

File:El Deposito hoisting the flag of the United States of America.jpg, El Deposito late 19th Century-early 20th Century during the American Occupation File:1972-NHC-El Deposito.png, Historical marker installed in 1972 File:The_El_Deposito_Underground_Water_Reservoir_23.jpg, El Depósito Underground Water Reservoir

External links

References

{{coord missing, Philippines Buildings and structures in San Juan, Metro Manila Industrial buildings completed in 1880 Water supply and sanitation in Metro Manila Former buildings and structures in Metro Manila 1880 establishments in the Philippines 19th-century architecture in the Philippines