The team behind Project NOAH is set to receive P1 billion in fresh government funding to enhance its hazard maps, incorporating multiple flood analyses for better planning. The funding falls under the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute, which absorbed the project in June 2017. It comes from a P255-billion cut in the Department of Public Works and Highways budget.
The bicameral conference committee has earmarked P1 billion for Project NOAH, which stands for Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards. This will upgrade hazard maps that currently rely on just 30 years of rainfall data from the state weather bureau. UPRI executive director Mahar Lagmay noted that the maps fail to show flood, landslide, and storm surge risks for 25-, 50-, or 100-year flood returns.
Today, Metro Manila floods equate to a 100-year return period, once thought to occur only once a century. Examples include Typhoon Carina in 2024, Typhoon Ulysses in 2020, and southwest monsoons in 2012 and 2018, when the Marikina River rose by double digits—equivalent to a three-story building.
"You can anticipate more and you won’t underestimate the disaster," Lagmay said. "You have a legal basis for budgeting in the government because you know the risk that’s involved… you incorporate climate projections and you have risk-based decision frameworks."
Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon admitted in October that many flood control projects were poorly planned and worsened flooding. The 2018 General Appropriations Act mandates multi-scenario probabilistic analysis for all national projects, coordinated by the Climate Change Commission.
House appropriations committee chair Rep. Mikaela Suansing stated that UPRI will collaborate with the DPWH to "refine" flood control design and monitoring. This will also guide the Oplan Kontra Baha program for areas beyond Metro Manila.
Negros Occidental Rep. Javi Benitez said over 2.5 million Filipinos access Project NOAH's hazard maps daily during peaks. Under the DOST, it cost P6.4 billion over five years, but since 2017, it has run on just P36 million annually. Only 60% of maps were completed when DOST ended funding in February 2017.
The new funds will enable acquisition of advanced technologies, benefiting more people amid the country's constant disaster threats.
