Sunday, July 17, 2011

Harvesting floodwaters tops Philippine climate change plans

Inquirer News (Philippines): President Benigno Aquino III is studying an 18-year National Climate Change Action Plan that includes a proposal to collect and store for irrigation purposes rainwater that ends up flooding Metro Manila and coastal and riverside towns. Elisea Gozun, presidential assistant for climate change, said Mr. Aquino had directed climate change experts to shape the framework of a program that would continue even after the end of his term in 2016.

Speaking on the sidelines of a July 14 bamboo development forum at the Baguio Country Club, Gozun said government agencies had been consulted and would incorporate their climate change projects as part of their allocations from the 2012 General Appropriations Act.

Harvesting floodwater was a proposal made by Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson for the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) body of environmental projects, she said. “The idea was to mainstream climate change projects, so for the public works sector, the government reviewed the half a billion pesos allocated for flood control,” Gozun said.

She said Singson’s solution “was to capture floodwater and use this for irrigation,” which would support the action plan’s food program designed to withstand a scenario of extreme weather changes...

A flooded river near the city of Alimodian flows dangerously close to buildings. In the wake of Typhoon Fengshen, portions of the Island of Panay were hit hard and much damage was done. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jennifer S. Kimball (Released)

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