MANILA, Philippines - The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority on Monday proposed to Congress to create a government office that will specifically manage the drainage and water management systems of the entire country.
MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino suggested the creation of the "Bureau of Drainage Systems and Services" to draw up new programs and policies to effectively address the country’s worsening flooding problems.
"In view of the recent flooding, there is an imperative...to create such department to promote ecosystem, fight climate change, global warning, and the unpredictable weather disturbances nationwide," Tolentino said.
Under Tolentino’s proposal, the BDSS should be headed by a Cabinet-level secretary with sufficient powers and funding to effect radical strategies and sustainable solutions in flood control management.
Under BDSS shall be the Local Water Utilities Administration, the drainage systems of local government units, the private water concessionaires, and dams operated by both government and private organizations.
"We need a Cabinet-level secretary for drainage," Tolentino added.
Among its main functions, the BDSS shall be the one to review and issue permits to land developers to ensure no environmental regulations are violated and that that no creeks or waterways are encroached upon during construction-related works, he said.
BDSS shall also harness water for recyclable use and as a potent source of energy, Tolentino said, "considering that water is a basic human right."
He cited that in Philadelphia, United States, drainage and flood warning systems are controlled by computers, with hundreds of closed circuit television cameras monitoring the water level 24/7.
In Hongkong, there is a Drainage Services Department that handles the region’s wastewater and storm water drainage systems, he said.
"If we have a Bureau of Drainage Systems and Services, it can help protect agriculture, infrastructure, and most importantly, prevent the unnecessary lost of lives during the stormy season,†Tolentino said.
Metro Manila alone has a total of 897 kilometers of drainage, he said.
Tolentino said climate change has caused severe flooding in areas that were previously not known to be flood-prone, such as Baguio City, Subic, Zambales; Bayawan City and Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental; Zamboanga City and Sultan Kudarat.
During the onslaught of monsoon rains enhanced by Typhoon Odette late last month, heavy flooding took place in several villages in Baguio, which also experienced flooding and landslides at the height of Typhoon Labuyo last August.
At least 15 people had died from landslides in three villages in Subic, Zambales that were caused by three days of non-stop rains late last month.
In several municipalities in both Negros Oriental and Occidental, at least 4,000 residents were forced to leave their homes due to incessant rains since Friday.