Mindanaotoday.com | Klarex welcomes Dutch flood experts’ help
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Mayor Rolando “Klarex” Uy wants the city’s persistent flooding problems solved, and created a group to study the proposal by a group of Dutch experts on flood reduction and climate resilience for the city.
The Aid Environment of Netherlands sought an audience with the mayor Friday, April 14, to express willingness to help the local government craft measures to address persistent flooding.
“We understand the key issues that the city is facing related to flooding, storm surges, saltwater intrusion, and water shortage in the season. And we are aware that studies and analysis have been made to address these issues,” Rommert Schram, an expert in water resources management and irrigation of the Aid Environment told Uy, referring to studies done after Sendong (Washi) like the Cagayan de Oro River Basin Integrated Rehabilitation Management Framework Plan, the city’s Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP), and the Climate Disaster Risk Assessment (CDRA).
“But studies don’t give us dry feet. Thus Aid Environment is willing to partner with the local government to translate these studies to actionable implementation,” Schram added.
“Pasalamat kita sa ilang hangyag. (We are grateful for their offer to help). We need these kinds of interventions. The city government will look for resources to support this project,” the mayor said.
Engr. Ramir Balquin, City Planning and Development Office head, said the city government is now in the process of enhancing the LCCAP and CDRA.
“We will integrate the updated studies in the action plan for the project proposed by the Aid Environment,” Balquin said.
The Amsterdam-based group will provide technical assistance to the city government in crafting the project proposal for the Cagayan de Oro Flood Reduction and Climate Resilience Project and help in looking for foreign funding agencies.
“Rapid urbanization has aggravated natural hazards which pose a high risk to natural disasters like floods, landslides, and storm surges. The city faces immediate and slow-onset impacts of climate change. In the last ten years, the city was exposed to big floods, thought to be 100-cycle floods brought to storms, four times: Sendong (Washi) in 2011; Pablo (Bopha) in 2012; Vinta (Tembin) in 2017; and Odette (Rai) in 2021,” said BenCyrus G. Ellorin who is a consultant of the city mayor. (PR | CMO Communications Group)
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