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DENR TOLD: PINPOINT ‘DISASTER HOTSPOTS’ NATIONWIDE
December 23, 2003
Former Environment Secretary Heherson T. Alvarez today said environment officials should have a regular bulletin of potential “hot spots” for landslides, mudslides and flash floods to warn the public of natural dangers before they strike.
He recalled that during his stint at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), a so-called “risk map” was being prepared, with the assistance of foreign experts, that would identify areas prone to natural disasters like earthquakes, avalanches and massive floods.
“If that map was completed, the DENR should try to make full use of it,” he said.
At the same time, Alvarez, also a former senator, warned that disasters like the one that hit Southern Leyte, will continue to stalk the country unless something is done to stop the destruction the country’s forest cover.
He said a study by the University of the Philippines’ College of Forestry and Natural Resources revealed that in the 1920s, the Philippines had 27.5 million hectares of forest cover; today, only about 4 million hectares remain.
Alvarez urged the DENR to employ the state-of-the-art Geographic Information Systems (GIS) which uses satellite images to easily identify potential sources of natural disasters.
“Inasmuch as the DENR has already identified illegal logging hot spots in the country, landslide hot spots should also be identified and made public to warn residents and serve as a guide for local officials and their respective disaster coordinating and rescue centers,” Alvarez said.
He also called for the use of available cloning technologies to mass-produce seedlings for the reforestation of the country’s denuded forests.
President Arroyo earlier ordered a comprehensive plan for the immediate reforestation of Southern Leyte which was hit by massive mudslides over the weekend.
“The Ormoc flash floods, followed now by the Leyte mudslides, only show the inadequate measures we have taken to at least alert the public of impending dangers before they happen. A list of disaster-prone areas nationwide could help prevent such disasters, coupled with a massive effort to rejuvenate our forests,” Alvarez said.
Flash floods hit certain areas of Ormoc City in 1991 killing as estimated 8,000 people. The flash floods were blamed on illegal logging that denuded forests in the ravaged areas. The final death toll in the Southern Leyte tragedy has yet to be known. But it is feared that it could reach 300.
Alvarez said new developments in computer-based systems such as the GIS have greatly advanced global mapping technologies.
“These new capabilities should be employed to effectively manage our natural resources,” he said.
Alvarez said cloning technology will help fast-track the country’s reforestation program, by generating “superior” planting seedlings in only 45 days compared to 4-6 months when using regular technology. The technology’s tree-production capability is also 300 percent better, he added.
As DENR secretary, Alvarez established at least 17 nurseries nationwide using cloning technologies. These included the five-hectare ATBP Clonal Nursery in Barangay Bunbun, Butuan City, and another in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.
“Cloning will speed up production of premium timber species like narra and almaciga, fruit trees and ornamental trees, supplying massive amount of trees for our reforestation efforts,” he said.
A study commissioned by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO) in 1990 showed that the rate of deforestation in the Philippines is among the highest in the world. In just 50 years, almost two thirds of Philippine forests was lost to deforestation, according to the study conducted by Frances Korten of the Ford Foundation.
Philippine forests, UN-FAO said, were logged extensively through the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, followed by clearing for agriculture. These activities eventually resulted in massive flooding and the erosion of about 100,000 tons of soil year in affected areas. The floods and soil erosion, in turn, led to the loss of diverse species and genetic material, and ultimately, of human lives.
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