The city and provincial governments of Iloilo are getting ready for the La Niña phenomenon, which is expected to take effect during the third quarter of 2024 as forecast by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
“The National Resilience Council (NRC) said that we should prepare because the La Niña will be stronger,” City Mayor Jerry Treñas said in a press conference on Monday, April 29.
The NRC is a science and technology-based public-private partnership focused on building a resilient Philippines by enhancing the capacities of local government units with evidence-informed risk governance, strengthening and sustaining high-level collaboration between national government agencies and industry, and implementing the resilience program with a core group of LGUs, according to its website.
City Disaster Risk Reduction Management (CDRRM) head Donna Magno said Iloilo City was prone to flooding based on its risk profile and likely to get flooded more during the onset of La Niña.
She said, as explained by scientists of the NRC who arrived in Iloilo last week, that because of extreme heat, the ground and trees could not fully absorb rainwater, thus there would be more runoff, bringing in flash floods.
The city government has an existing cistern, a tank of storing water, at the La Paz Plaza and there is a P17 million fund available that can be used to construct the same facility at the Plaza Libertad.
They are also looking for more funds to establish one reservoir in Jaro Plaza and other public plazas that will serve as storage areas for rainwater.
Magno said last year, they realigned P17 million of their budget to install rainwater harvesting facilities, eight of which were already installed.
“The public has to prepare for this kind of scenario. These are studies based on our assessments. Soon, the dry days will become drier and the wet days will become shorter but very, very wet. For every instance that we can catch whatever rain we can catch, we should do so,” she said.
Meanwhile, Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr., during the quarterly meeting of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) on Monday, instructed the inventory of areas affected by flooding and their assets in responding to calamity aside from preparing for a cleanup drive, particularly on waterways.
“We need historical data on the flooding. We know the path of the flooding; chances are it will be the same areas. We need to have an inventory of the municipalities and barangay. Once we have the data, let us have a simulation of our assets in response to flooding,” he said.
Based on the presentation of PDRRM Officer Cornelio Salinas, Iloilo’s top three hazards are flood, landslide, and storm surge.
Thirteen local government units have very high susceptibility, 14 for landslide, and 16 coastal towns to storm surge.Perla Lena/PNA
