MANILA, Philippines?The Philippines and Norway have entered into an agreement for the improvement of the flood forecasting and warning system for Magat Dam to prevent loss of life and damage to property due to floods.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Saturday that the agreement was signed recently by Science and Technology Secretary Estrella F. Alabastro and Norway Ambassador to the Philippines Knut Solem in Manila. Prisco D. Nilo, administrator of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), and Kim Lande, Country Director of SN Power Philippines, witnessed the ceremony.

Under the grant agreement, Norway, through the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, will contribute $1.52 million (approximately P71.2 million) to cover the improvement of existing warning and expansion of the monitoring facilities of the Cagayan River basin.

The project will also look into the existing dam protocols of Magat. The Philippine government will contribute a total of $199,444 (P9.3 million) for the public information drive, labor and civil works.

Of the total local counterpart, $72,680 (P3.4 million) will come from SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP)-Magat, Inc. while the rest will be provided by PAGASA and the National Irrigation Administration. Total project cost is about $1.7 million (P80.6 million).

Lande said that SN Power Philippines felt very strongly about the project, citing corporate social responsibility as the driving force that brought the project to Norway.

?It was very important for us to convey to the Norwegian government the merits of the project especially in terms of mitigating loss of lives and livelihood in the downstream communities,? he added.

Meanwhile, SNAP-Magat, Inc. chief executive officer Emmanuel Rubio emphasized the significance of the agreement in the aftermath of typhoons that devastated North Luzon in October.

?When we assumed operation of the power plant, we saw the need for rehabilitating the FFWS (flood forecasting and warning system)system and equipment to better contribute to PAGASA and NIA?s disaster mitigation capabilities in times of flooding,? Rubio said.

He added that as part of its CSR, SNAP-Magat, Inc. made representations with the Norwegian government for possible funding of the Magat FFWS rehabilitation to support the government and communities in disaster response, management and mitigation.

Nilo stressed that with this development, ?our flood forecasting and warning system will not only benefit the downstream area of Magat dam but also the whole Cagayan River basin with the expansion of monitoring facilities along major tributaries.?

The Magat Dam is a multi-purpose dam which serves as a source of hydroelectric power and irrigation water for about 85,000 hectares of agricultural lands. The dam is under operational control of the NIA, while SNAP-Magat, Inc. owns and operates the 360MW Magat hydroelectric power plant. SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP) is jointly owned by SN Power of Norway and the Aboitiz Group.