Lack of science and strict environmental standards in the implementation of the country’s flood con-trol and other infrastructure projects, are worsening the country’s climate risks, a UP scientist cau-tioned yesterday.
UP Marine Science Institute professor Fernando Siringan warned that many projects continue to by-pass or water down the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, undermining measures for climate resilience and exposing communities to greater risks.
Despite having budgets reaching hundreds of millions in pesos, most of these projects proceed without a proper impact study, Siringan declared.
“Not all projects have undergone EIA study, and many government projects do not have EIA,” Siringan revealed in an interview at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) Project Transform Colloquium in Pasay City, last August 27.
He urged government agencies and private contractors to use available data and methods to guide development, emphasizing that only the strict enforcement of EIAs could prevent flawed projects from being built in the first place.
Siringa said that the simple dredging of rivers and laying down of concrete flood walls would just be temporary fixes.
He cited the “Room for the River” program in Europe as a global best practice.
“Floods will be less frequent, lower in height, less widespread, and shorter in duration if we give rivers more room to flow instead of just repeatedly dredging them,” he said, noting that widening would be better than just dredging.
He also urged policymakers to shift toward nature-based solutions that fit ecosystems.
“Sponge city” innovations
In his presentation, Siringan noted that tree covers can reduce surface heat by as much as 12°C, inter-cept rainfall, and allow water to seep into the ground.
“Sponge city” innovations, such as permeable pavements that help flood water seep through the ground, green roofs, and water-absorbing parks, can ease flash floods in urban centers.
Meanwhile, he said that mangrove belts, with just 100 meters of healthy cover, can slash storm wave energy by half, while shielding coastal communities.
“These measures are not only more sustainable but also provide multiple benefits for ecosystems and communities,” he said.
Siringan’s call came as President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. widened his probe into allegedly anomalous flood control projects and ordered a lifestyle check on government executives.
Siringan emphasized that flooding is not just an engineering problem, but also an environmental and governance problem.
To build or not to build
DENR Secretary Raphael Lotilla, meanwhile, said the way forward would be integrated river basin and water management programs, which would identify where to build and not to build infrastructure.
Citing Marikina as an example, he said that clearing riverbanks of settlements reduced risks.
He said that housing projects built in hazard-prone areas have exposed communities to danger.
“But in areas where one has to refrain from, in fact, filling up the waterways, then it’s not a case of building, but to protect the waterways and floodplains,” he said. (PNA)
