Marcos calls for updated flood hazard maps

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday stressed the need to update flood hazard maps due to the changes in the volume and flow of floodwater amid heavy rain and the effects of severe tropical storm Enteng.

Marcos made the pronouncement during a situation briefing with relevant government agencies as well as local and provincial officials of the province of Rizal in Antipolo City.

“What we’re going to have to do here is we’re going to have to really look and see what are the changes that have happened,” Marcos said.

Marcos noted that many areas in Metro Manila that were not known to experience flooding ended up being submerged when Typhoon Carita battered parts of the country last July.

According to Marcos, the flooding may have been caused by blocked waterways due to urbanization.

Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) during the briefing attributed the flooding in Rizal to “very dense” housing projects.

Due to this, Marcos in a separate interview reiterated the need for new strategies to ensure that flood control initiatives across the country are responsive and sufficient

READ: ‘Water flow management’ will control floods, Marcos tells LGUs

He also once again suggested the construction of weirs to mitigate the flow of floodwaters inundating low-lying communities, particularly in Rizal and Metro Manila.

READ: Marcos eyes building weirs to reduce flood risk in PH