MANILA, Philippines -- The lessons of super typhoon Ondoy, which submerged many areas in Metro Manila almost two years ago, have prompted Public Works officials to update the master plan for flood management in the metropolis.
They are also soliciting the support of other departments and agencies, realizing it cannot do the job alone.
With Ondoy exposing the vulnerability of Metro Manila to sudden and destructive flooding due to climate change, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) recognized that the problem of flooding should be a collective effort.
Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson said the DPWH is taking the lead role in the Inter-agency Steering Committee that was formed to conduct a risk assessment study for Metro Manila and the surrounding basin area.
The IASC, Singson said, will look into the priority structural and non-structural measures that will provide sustainable flood management up to the designated safety level.
The committee will likewise conduct consultation activities, including meetings, workshops, and seminars among stakeholders.
"This will ensure that their concerns are duly considered into the risk assessment and to agree on the flood risk management," Singson said.
The DPWH is scurrying to improve its flood control projects to prevent a repeat of the devastation of Ondoy, which left Metro Manila crippled and most houses submerged in water due to raging floods.
Flooding was reported in many Luzon provinces with waters in some areas reaching as high as the rooftops of one-storey buildings. It was the worst flooding seen in the capital in some 20 years.
Singson said the IASC is divided into two steering committee levels: The High Level and Technical Level.
Singson designated DPWH Assistant Secretary Maria Catalina Cabral to head the IASC Technical Level which will act as oversight committee, providing support and guidance on technical and administrative matters.
On the other hand, the High Level IASC will oversee the preparation of master plan and provide the policy direction.
It is composed of secretaries of DPWH, the Department of Science and Technology, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and other concerned agencies.
