President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. wants the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to integrate its flood control management programs with other sectors for effective water management and conservation, according to DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan.
“You know, ‘I think we have to integrate our flood control management programs with the other sectors so that the water that we manage in the flood control do not go to the sea indirectly and to the extent possible that we have to conserve and utilize it for the other purposes like for irrigation, water supply and power if necessary,’” Bonoan said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
“So, this is a direct instruction of the President to me that we have to integrate all these components particularly in the major projects, flood control projects of the department we’ve been undertaking,” he added
Although the DPWH has been implementing some flood control projects with those components, Bonoan said it has to enhance the formulation of other structures needed for irrigation, water supply and power generation because the department’s multi-year budget for flood control program is increasing tremendously.
For 2024 for instance, Bonoan recalled the DPWH’s total budget for both foreign-assisted and locally funded flood control projects was more than P300 billion, which is a good source for an integrated water resource management program for irrigation, water supply and power that the President instructed.
During Tuesday’s sectoral meeting, the President reiterated the importance of the integrated water resource masterplan and managing water resources amid El Niño and mitigating flood during La Niña.
President Marcos directed the relevant agencies to further explore foreign funding for identified priority investment areas for both local and international stakeholders.
The President also sought for continued development of National Irrigation Administration (NIA) dams for multipurpose use to include agricultural irrigation, fresh water supply, power supply and flood control.
In April last year, President Marcos signed an executive order creating DENR’s Water Management Office (WMO). *PND*
