FLOOD CONTROL MASTER PLAN

 FLOOD CONTROL MASTER PLAN

In so many words, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan effectively said that the government does not have a flood control master plan yet, but they are already planning to make such a plan, by way of some feasibility studies. I think that we have to credit Secretary Bonoan for being honest about the truth, but it is really disturbing to know that after being an independent country for more than a hundred years, we still have not developed the infrastructure to control floods.

While I am very sure that the DPWH might have all the bright engineers who could design and build the infra to control the perennial floods in Metro Manila and elsewhere, I believe that the best way to start the planning process is to manage the data, by way of data collection, data analytics and data integration among others. All that data should eventually be subjected to other processes such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, again among others.

Going back in history, I know for a fact that the United States Geological Service (USGS) still have copies of the old maps that they made of the Philippines during the American occupation. Those old maps could actually show where all kinds of waterways where located at that time, including all the bays, rivers, lakes and even the creeks and the canals. If we compare these old maps with the newer satellite images, we will realize which waterways have been covered up or lessened in size.

While it is very easy to blame the accumulation of garbage and the lack of drainage as the possible cause of the floods, we should realize that the more serious cause is the disappearance of the waterways because they either have been used as dumpsites, or they were illegally covered up and taken over by private persons or companies who are clearly violating the easement laws.

If the government is really serious about creating a master plan for flood control, it should collect and integrate all the flood related data that it could collect from USGS, NASA, JICA, NAMRIA, PAGASA, PHIVOLCS and MMDA, among others. Aside from the engineers of DPWH, the government should also tap the scientists from DOST, ASTI and PHILSPACE. Aside from that, the government should also include the data of private sector sources such as Google and www.planet.com. IKE SENERES/08-05-2024


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