DOST to complete 3D flood hazard maps by 2016

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Science and Technology (DOST)’s three-dimensional (3D) flood hazard maps for flood-prone areas in the country will be completed by 2016, officials said yesterday.

DOST Assistant Secretary Mon Liboro said the agency has completed the flood hazard maps for 18 major river basins nationwide under the project Disaster Risk and Exposure Assessment for Mitigation or DREAM.

Liboro said the DREAM program uses state-of-the-art light detection and ranging technology in generating 3D topographical maps for flood modeling of the 18 major river systems in the country.

The DOST has allotted P1.7 billion for the project, which started in 2012.

The DREAM project received an additional budget of P1.4 billion from 2014 to 2016.

“For the past 50 years, only five rivers (Pampanga, Agno, Bicol, Cagayan and Marikina) had been equipped with flood early warning systems. The combined costs of these five projects amounted to almost P2.2 billion,” Liboro said.

“In just two years, under the guidance of Secretary Mario Montejo, Project Noah (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards) and the DREAM program have established an integrated flood early warning systems for the 18 major rivers nationwide,” he added.

Liboro said the DREAM project has started taking topographic images of the country’s 285 minor river systems, mostly tributaries of the 18 major river basins.

He said the project will be completed by 2016.