The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) is pushing for the creation of a legislation that will ensure the safe operation of dams in the country and build the preparedness of the downstream communities against flood hazards.
The OCD convened the Technical Working Group of the National Committee on Dam Safety (NCODS-TWG) in partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE) for a write-shop to enhance the draft National Dam Safety Guidelines and proposed Dam Safety Bill.
The two-day workshop concluded on Thursday, Oct. 20, in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
OCD Policy Development and Planning Service Officer in Charge (OIC) Elson Tayko stressed the importance of developing dam safety guidelines and the dam safety bill in preparation for extreme weather phenomena being faced by the country now.
Experts have warned that the rising global temperature have made storms more powerful, putting at risk countries that are often visited by typhoons like the Philippines.
"Dam safety, in terms of dam integrity and its operation, is extremely important to ensure the protection of people and properties against potential threats," he said.
Tayko noted that such guidelines and policy will "ensure the safety and safe operations of dams under normal and extreme events as well as the preparedness of communities downstream."
"It is a manifestation of our shared goal of protecting the communities through the performance of our respective mandates," he added.
In 2011, a dam safety bill had been filed in the Congress to address the "tragic, destructive and costly" experience of the Philippines with floods that were arguably aggravated by the release of water from dams during typhoon season. It did not materialize.
In 2020, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) approved the creation of a dam safety committee to act as an oversight body between the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services (PAGASA) and different agencies involved in dam operations.