‘3-D maps a big boost to disaster prevention’

Taguig Mayor Ma. Laarni Cayetano has thanked the Australian Embassy for selecting her city to be the subject of a landmark hazard mapping study, which could help prevent the loss of lives during disasters.

With the creation of a three-dimensional map of Taguig using a technology called Light Detection and Ranging, officials can accurately identify which areas in the city are prone to natural calamities like earthquakes and flooding, Cayetano said.

The assistance is made possible through the Australian government’s international development program AusAid.

“The application of this technology in creating a geohazard map will be a challenge among decision-makers of the city government, particularly during instances of typhoons, flooding, landslides, tornados and earthquakes,” Cayetano said in a statement.

City disaster response chief Ronald Galicia noted the timeliness of the project, which the embassy turned over to the Taguig government late last month, saying it would help authorities in the construction of vital infrastructure in places which need it most.

Officials would also be guided in identifying critical disaster-prone areas so that residents could be moved to safer ground, he added.

“This technology arrived just in time to address the changes in the environment that we are witnessing. We need this to respond to the challenges of climate change,” Galicia said.

Some low-lying areas in the city, found mostly near the shore of Laguna de Bay, usually end up submerged in floods whenever heavy rains or

weather disturbances hit Metro Manila.

At the height of Typhoon “Ondoy” two years ago, floodwaters inundated several lakeshore barangays (villages) for weeks, turning roads into streams and making these impassable to vehicles.

Darwin Icay, the mayor’s spokesman, said the hazard map would further boost the city government’s capability to effectively plan its disaster response mechanism, including the construction of 24/7 health centers, “the modernization of the local bureau of fire protection, the Geographic Information System and even the Taguig City Integrated Survey System.”