FLOODWATERS are not only hazards but also resources that can be captured, stored and used during dry months, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
This perspective is one of the four core principles of a draft National Flood Management Framework, which the DENR said would be the long-term policy direction for flood risk reduction in the Philippines.
The framework uses an integrated water resources management approach, positioning flood control not as a stand-alone initiative but a component of an interconnected system
It is expected to offer policy guidance in aligning infrastructure development, watershed management and land-use planning to ensure that public funding supports not only flood prevention but also water storage, irrigation and water supply.
The framework is anchored on four core principles:
– The prioritization of nature-based solutions, acknowledging that healthy watersheds and ecosystems are crucial to addressing the causes of flooding and not just the effects.
– Strategic stormwater impoundment, treating it as a valuable resource for water supply, irrigation, energy generation and other uses.
– Integrated use of green and grey infrastructure in downstream and urban areas and combining natural flood control systems like wetlands, river easements and mangroves with infrastructure such as dikes, revetments and pumping stations along with advanced monitoring and early-warning systems.
– Land-use planning and risk-sensitive development that aligns growth and infrastructure with flood hazard data, environmental safeguards and oversight coordination.
Environment Secretary Raphael Lotilla said the framework should serve as a convergence point for government agencies involved in water, land use and infrastructure management.
He noted that major water and flood-control investments are being managed not by the DENR but also by the Department of Public Works and Highways and the National Irrigation Administration.
“How we string these together — so we can store water, use it during the dry months, and reserve some for treatment — that is the convergence point. The framework is really designed to bring the different agencies together,” he said.
The draft is now being circulated among key agencies such as the DPWH, NIA and local government agencies for review, the DENR said.
