MMDA, DOST vow quicker response to metro flooding

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) are set to rehabilitate and upgrade Metro Manila’s flood monitoring system.   A Memorandum of Agreement signed by DOST Secretary Mario G. Montejo and MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino specifies that DOST will roll out at least 38 water level monitoring station (WMLS) units and 13 automated rain gauges (ARGs), and retrofit two data loggers to the MMDA’s rain gauge monitoring stations.      DOST’s Advanced Science and Technology Institute has developed and will install water level sensors that collect data in 10 minutes and transmit them via GSM to a server, which will then send them on to MMDA’s central command station. These data will be shared by both MMDA and DOST’s Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (DOST-PAGASA).   The quick transmission of data using these sensors will help government agencies make informed decisions during calamities, especially in high-risk areas.   DOST-ASTI said that it will also develop the visualization of its flood monitoring system, including historic and most recent rain fall and water level readings. The MMDA will also test the applicability of the DOST-developed aquatic harvester prototype in clearing up water hyacinths in rivers and lakes.   As part of the agreement, DOST will help MMDA disseminate information on disaster risk management and prevention and give it access to radar images and data (and their analyses) from PAGASA’s Subic Doppler radar. PAGASA will also train MMDA and local government units on the proper use and operation of the WLMS and ARG units.    “This collaboration with DOST is a fusion of S&T and public service,” says Tolentino. “Rest assured that MMDA will continue to support this kind of endeavor so that in the coming years, the people from Marikina and other flood prone areas will be confident of the government’s forecasts before and during calamities.”   The partnership will result in an early warning system for residents in high-risk areas and provide a six-hour flood forecasting interval during typhoons—it takes roughly that time for flood waters to flow down to the lowlands. The storms that have hit the National Capital Region in recent years had been particularly catastrophic, and more needs to be done on both the government and the local levels.   “The lesson that we learned in the past incidents is that we have to involve the local community,” says Montejo. “We have to make them aware… we have science to support us.” — TJD, GMA News