The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on Monday reiterated the importance of developing comprehensive plans to mitigate flood and water crises.
In light of the rainy season and the impending La Niña phenomenon, Civil Defense Administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno stressed the importance of the said mechanisms in response to the recent massive flooding and the lingering effects of El Niño, which severely impacted the agricultural sector.
“Unless we roll out the necessary engineering infrastructure that will contain the floods during the rainy season and provide water during droughts, we will read the same reports on massive damage and hear the same complaints from people who are adversely affected,” Usec. Nepomuceno said.
“Comprehensive plans that are based on and inspired by science must cover the 18 major river basins of the archipelago and the communities surrounding them. Big dams for flood control, veers, levy systems, irrigation canals, catch basins, relocation of vulnerable communities, respect for no-build zones, landslide preventions, alarm systems and safety protocols, reforestation, and no-nonsense management of all these must be in place soon,” he explained.
Usec. Nepomuceno also described engineering infrastructure and other scientific steps as a dual-purpose or “one stone hitting two birds,” stating that these solutions to the water crisis also address the devastating floods.
“Trying to solve one massive problem almost automatically solves another,” he added.
Based on the latest advisory of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the country is now on La Niña Alert status, with a 70% chance of the phenomenon forming between August to October and is likely to persist until the first quarter of next year.
