CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Even before the historic calamity wrought by a strong earthquake and tsunami in Japan last Friday, the Japanese government had already put in place state-of-the-art projects costing P593 million that could save lives during natural disasters in Central Luzon.
One of the projects, dubbed as flood forecasting and warning system (FFWS) costing P193 million, is slated to be inaugurated by Pres. Aquino in Carmen Rosales in Pangasinan on March 24.
Phase 1 of the FFWS project, costing another P400 million, was inaugurated here by former Pres. Arroyo in 2009.
Both projects were funded from grants from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Dr. Susan Espinueva, chief of the hydrometeorological division of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the already finished Pampanga river FFWS consists of 17 unmanned stations monitoring rainfall and water levels along the Pampanga river system that runs from Nueva Ecija through Bulacan and Pampanga.
She said that regardless of weather conditions, these stations relay information on river situation by the hour to the Pampanga River Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (PRFFWC) based at the Pagasa office in Barangay Maimpis here.
“During bad weather, office of Civil Defense (OCD) base themselves at the center so that they could issue appropriate warnings for evacuation once the unmanned stations relay information in potential danger from the river system,” Espinueva said.
Yasushi Azuma, Japanese consultant of Pagasa on the project, said that the FFWS could be configured so that information from the unmanned stations could be had every 15 minutes during bad weather.
On March 24, the President is expected to inaugurate another FFWS center in Carmen Rosales in Pangasinan, which has 13 unmanned monitoring stations along the Agno river basin.
Espinueva said the two projects are funded from grants from the JICA, with the Philippine government providing counterpart in terms of buildings housing the modern FFWS equipment.
She said that the initial FFWS for the Pampanga river was initially founded in 1973 after the historic floods that hit Central Luzon in 1972 when waters from the Pampanga and Agno river basins merged, while the FFWS for Agno river was established 10 years later.
She recalled that at that time, the FFWS center was based in Quezon City and that its system had already deteriorated over time.
The new modern FFWS for Pampanga had its center finished here in 2009, while the new FFWS at Agno has its new center in Carmen Rosales up for inauguration on March 24, she noted. The centers are linked to modernized monitoring stations along the river systems.
Azuma said the upgraded FFWS projects include the replacement of old rainfall and water level equipment with state-of-the-art facilities, the establishment of additional new rainfall and water level gauging stations, and the upgrading of the “backbone multiples radio equipment to enhance transmission capacity.”
He said the new systems also involved “the establishment of monitoring system to directly access the observed real time rail fall and water level data and other information such as flood forecasts and warnings issued by Pagasa.”
He also said the modernized FFWS also “enhances flood forecast and warning information with the provision of the extent and depth of inundation using the runoff analysis software couples with Geographic Information System.”
This, even as Espinueva appealed to local officials to help secure the unmanned monitoring stations along the river basins, after some cables were stolen by still unidentified persons in Barangay Mayayap in Cabanatuan City.
“It’s embarrassing to our donors, who we had to replace the cable immediately,” she said.
“But what’s more significant is that these equipment are supposed to save many lives by way of early warning during bad weather,” she added.
One of the projects, dubbed as flood forecasting and warning system (FFWS) costing P193 million, is slated to be inaugurated by Pres. Aquino in Carmen Rosales in Pangasinan on March 24.
Phase 1 of the FFWS project, costing another P400 million, was inaugurated here by former Pres. Arroyo in 2009.
Both projects were funded from grants from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Dr. Susan Espinueva, chief of the hydrometeorological division of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the already finished Pampanga river FFWS consists of 17 unmanned stations monitoring rainfall and water levels along the Pampanga river system that runs from Nueva Ecija through Bulacan and Pampanga.
She said that regardless of weather conditions, these stations relay information on river situation by the hour to the Pampanga River Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (PRFFWC) based at the Pagasa office in Barangay Maimpis here.
“During bad weather, office of Civil Defense (OCD) base themselves at the center so that they could issue appropriate warnings for evacuation once the unmanned stations relay information in potential danger from the river system,” Espinueva said.
Yasushi Azuma, Japanese consultant of Pagasa on the project, said that the FFWS could be configured so that information from the unmanned stations could be had every 15 minutes during bad weather.
On March 24, the President is expected to inaugurate another FFWS center in Carmen Rosales in Pangasinan, which has 13 unmanned monitoring stations along the Agno river basin.
Espinueva said the two projects are funded from grants from the JICA, with the Philippine government providing counterpart in terms of buildings housing the modern FFWS equipment.
She said that the initial FFWS for the Pampanga river was initially founded in 1973 after the historic floods that hit Central Luzon in 1972 when waters from the Pampanga and Agno river basins merged, while the FFWS for Agno river was established 10 years later.
She recalled that at that time, the FFWS center was based in Quezon City and that its system had already deteriorated over time.
The new modern FFWS for Pampanga had its center finished here in 2009, while the new FFWS at Agno has its new center in Carmen Rosales up for inauguration on March 24, she noted. The centers are linked to modernized monitoring stations along the river systems.
Azuma said the upgraded FFWS projects include the replacement of old rainfall and water level equipment with state-of-the-art facilities, the establishment of additional new rainfall and water level gauging stations, and the upgrading of the “backbone multiples radio equipment to enhance transmission capacity.”
He said the new systems also involved “the establishment of monitoring system to directly access the observed real time rail fall and water level data and other information such as flood forecasts and warnings issued by Pagasa.”
He also said the modernized FFWS also “enhances flood forecast and warning information with the provision of the extent and depth of inundation using the runoff analysis software couples with Geographic Information System.”
This, even as Espinueva appealed to local officials to help secure the unmanned monitoring stations along the river basins, after some cables were stolen by still unidentified persons in Barangay Mayayap in Cabanatuan City.
“It’s embarrassing to our donors, who we had to replace the cable immediately,” she said.
“But what’s more significant is that these equipment are supposed to save many lives by way of early warning during bad weather,” she added.
