The Philippine government, through the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), has secured a deal with the government of South Korea for the establishment of the Integrated Water Resources Management Information System (IWRMIS) for the Pampanga River Basin.

A statement showed that NWRB and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) forged another partnership to strengthen their bilateral ties.

The partnership’s objective is to improve water resources planning, management, and regulation in the Pampanga River Basin in Central Luzon.

Traversing the provinces of Pampanga, Bulacan, and Nueva Ecija, the Pampanga River is considered the second largest river in Luzon and the fifth-longest river in the Philippines.

As part of the deal, KOICA will provide the Philippine government the necessary software, equipment, and materials to execute the project.

The South Korean government will likewise dispatch some experts from South Korea to assist in the implementation of the project and host capacity-building activities for local officials and personnel.

The scope of this foreign grant is spread over a four-year period from 2021 to 2025.

“With the improvement and expansion of the project covering the entire Pampanga River Basin, it is expected that we will be able to reap more benefits from this project, specifically, in terms of water allocation and distribution, irrigation and flood analysis,” said NWRB Executive Director Sevillo David Jr.

“Consequently, this also means more work from both our ends, but this is a very much welcome challenge in which the NWRB is up to,” he added.

During the virtual kick-off program of the project, Dr. Deukkoo Koh of Dongbu Engineering laid out the project overview and implementation activities, while Susan P. Abano, the chief of the Policy and Program Division of NWRB, discussed the way forward of the project.

The NWRB is the government agency that manages and regulates all water resources and services in the Philippines.

It integrates and coordinates all water-related activities that have social, environmental, and economic impacts in the country.

In 2019, the Philippine government, through the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), also initiated water projects with South Korea, particularly with the local government of Daegu Metropolitan City, Korea's third-largest city.

At the time, MWSS Administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco said the Philippines and Daegu were exploring possible cooperation for the Manila Bay clean-up; Three-River System Improvement Program; improved treatment technology and design capacity for Sewage Treatment Plants; upgrade of Central Manila Sewerage System; setting-up of wastewater treatment facilities in defined catchment areas and major interceptor lines; and adoption of a creek and drainage outflow interception.

Daegu has likewise expressed interest in collaborating on programs that address standard-setting, sewer ordinance, and policy-making, and continuous awareness campaigns on water reuse.