Real property developers to use hazards maps

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is hopeful that local property developers and the entire real estate industry will make use of the flood and other hazard maps that have been drawn up and gathered by their projects NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards) and DREAM (Disaster Risk Exposure Assessment for Mitigation).

Science Secretary Mario Montejo said they were looking forward to the crafting of a national policy where property developers are required to coordinate with NOAH and DREAM scientists to determine the flood and hazard scenarios in certain areas that they are slating for residential and commercial development projects creating new townships, business districts and residential enclaves.

“We are moving in that direction. A national policy where there will be a requirement for coordination with climate change scientists,” Montejo told reporters in a lunch briefing recently.

The Real Estate Brokers Association of the Philippines (REBAP) has started to coordinate with the DOST on their hazard maps and data to know if the properties they are selling are free from flooding or are not sitting atop active faults.

The REBAP-Greenhills Chapter invited Project NOAH to its regular membership meeting held at the Sky Villas in Quezon City last October.  

Speaking before a group of real estate brokers from the REBAP Greenhills and Quezon City chapters, Alan Taule, of the DOST Information Institute, emphasized the role DOST’s Project NOAH plays in using science and technology to find solutions to problems posed by natural hazards particularly typhoons and floods.

“The DOST through its flagship program, Project NOAH, utilizes state-of-the-art technologies and innovations to come up with science-based solutions to avert the negative impact of natural hazards like floods. In fact, because of Project NOAH, we can now provide a six-hour lead time before calamity strikes with constant monitoring and data acquisition from over 1,000 sensors installed in the 18 major river systems in the country,” Taule said.

With the help of the Advanced Science and Technology Institute of DOST, a total of 924 sensors have been installed in all 17 regions across the country.

There are 454 automated rain gauges installed, most of which are concentrated in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Region 2 (Cagayan Valley), Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) and Region 13 (CARAGA). A total of 236 automated water level monitoring stations were deployed and a majority of these were in CARAGA, Eastern Visayas, Region 3 (Central Luzon) and Region 7 (Central Visayas).

REBAP Greenhills chapter president Arlyn Santos believes that Project NOAH could provide real estate brokers the necessary tools and information that would ensure correct appraisal, solutions and recommendations to their clients.