DENR to LGUs: Tag flood-prone areas as 'no habitation zone'

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has called on local government units (LGUs) to declare as "no habitation zones" areas identified as high risk to landslides and flashfloods. "I am appealing to the LGUs to make use of the geohazard maps distributed by the [DENR] in order to avoid loss of lives and properties especially at this critical time when the typhoons passing the country trigger heavy precipitation on land," said Environment Secretary Ramon Paje. Paje's call comes on the heels of several landslides and flashfloods occurred when one typhoon after another battered the country in the past few weeks. Geohazard maps were made available to LGUs last year, Paje said, so that they can identify areas in their localities that are susceptible to flooding. The 1:50,000-scale geohazard maps, part of the government's risk reduction strategy, have already been distributed to some 1,600 municipalities and cities and about 4,000 barangays nationwide, Paje said. Possible relocation sites were likewise highlighted by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau for consideration of LGUs in their respective resettlement programs, he added. Under existing protocol, LGUs are tasked to evacuate residents in flood- and landslide-prone areas and relocate them to safe areas in times of impending typhoon and other weather disturbances that bring heavy rains. Paje added that the densification of the geohazard maps is already being undertaken by the Mines Bureau — which will produce more detailed versions at a scale of 1:10,000 — and is set to be completed by 2013. —JMT/VS, GMA News