Compensation for victims of dam water release sought

Saturday, October 8, 2011
A NEOPHYTE legislator from Cebu is seeking compensation for residents in Central Luzon adversely affected by the release of water from dams during typhoons Pedring and Quiel.
Cebu Representative Gabriel Luis Quisumbing early this week filed House Bill 5385, which will provide compensation “for the loss of life and property of people” owing to the discharge of water from dams and reservoirs.
The proposed legislation will also establish a National Dam Safety and
Review Board to monitor and inspect the conditions of all dams in the country.
“The National Dam Safety and Review Board shall also establish an effective safety program to reduce the adverse effects of releasing water from dams or reservoirs especially during heavy rains and typhoons,” Quisumbing stated.
President Benigno Aquino III earlier directed Public Works Secretary Rogelio to review the rules covering the release of water in dams to prevent massive flooding during typhoons.
Several residents in Central Luzon put the blame on dam managers for allegedly failing to issue warnings on the amount of water to be released at the height of typhoons’ onslaught.
In response, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje has instructed the
National Water Resources Board (NWRB) to come up with a new protocol on dam management in light of climate change.
Calling it the “new normal”, Paje said climate change has caused rising sea levels and changes in weather patterns, including the frequency and strength of typhoons, high precipitation, among others.
“The new dam management protocol should fill up all loopholes in coordination as well as in implementing emergency measures to avoid situation such as what happened in Bulacan,” the Environment chief
said.
NWRB Deputy Executive Director Nathaniel Santos explained that the technical working group (TWG) on Angat Dam operations is currently implementing the 2010 version of the dam’s protocol, which was originally formulated in 1998.
The protocol calls for NWRB to take charge of allocating water supply to the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) for the irrigation of farmlands in Bulacan and Pampanga, and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System for domestic supply of Metro Manila.
That is, if the dam’s water level is 210 meters above sea level and below, Santos said.
However, once the dam’s water level reaches above the 210-meter level, Santos stressed that the NIA, National Power Corporation, and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration implement another set of rules regarding the release of excess water.
The Palace meanwhile appealed to local officials in areas still affected by heavy flooding to be more vigilant.
“(They should) make sure protocols are observed and ensure that residents will be evacuated – if needed – should dam operators decide to release water,” Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a radio interview.
Assistance to farmers, fishpen owners
In a related development, Senate committee on agriculture and foods chairman Francis Pangilinan urged the government to allocate funds to mitigate the damages in the country’s rice producing areas and help farmers recover quickly.
“At the most, we can only recover 50 percent of our harvest damaged by Pedring and Quiel. We ask the Department of Agriculture to subsidize palays for farmers and suspend irrigation fees for the next two croppings,” the senator said in a press statement.
He also called for the immediate release of P500-million state reserve funds through the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation for farmers.
The Agriculture department, he added, should also provide free fingerlings to fishpen owners to help them start anew.
Citing data from the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food, Pangilinan said more than 36,000 metric tons of bangus and tilapia were lost due to typhoon Pedring alone.
“Let us prioritize small fishfarmers and help them get back on their feet and help mitigate the damaging effects of the typhoon. If we don’t do so soon, we will feel the immediate effects on our food supply chain,” he said.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the two typhoons left at least 95 people dead as damage jumped to over P14 billion on Saturday. (Kathrina Alvarez/Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)
Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2011/10/08/compensation-victims-dam-water-release-sought-183949

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