A Forum in Manila organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) shared experiences, lessons and best practices in flood prevention, preparedness, response and recovery, with a view to helping the Philippines develop a flood risk management strategy to avoid a projected US$1.5 billion in flood costs unless the country acts to reduce and manage the risk, with climate change likely to add US$0.65 billion to the costs.
5 December 2012: The “Philippine Flood Management Knowledge Sharing Forum,” organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways, brought together local and international experts to discuss ways the Philippines can improve its prevention, preparedness, response and recovery from floods.
The Forum, which was held from 4-5 December 2012, at ADB headquarters in Manila, was attended by government officials from the Philippines, invested international experts, and representatives of international donors and civil society organizations.
The first day of the Forum focused on lessons and plans, including presentations and panel discussions on climate risks in the Philippines, current flood management in Metro Manila, common challenges in managing floods and implementing flood management plans, and best practices and lessons learned from flood risk management in Australia, Thailand and the US. The second day focused on flood risk reduction and management, with presentations on integrated flood management, technologies for managing flood hazards, flood forecasting, community-based flood management, watershed management, flood risk assessment, policies and priority setting.
According to a 2010 assessment of Asian coastal cities conducted by ADB, the World Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in 2010, Metro Manila is particularly vulnerable to floods, with heavy flooding likely to cost up to US$1.5 billion unless the Philippines acts to reduce and manage the risk, and that climate change is likely to add US$0.65 billion to the cost. To reduce the risks, the Department of Public Works and Highways has proposed a series of measures and projects that will take until 2035 to complete. [ADB Press Release] [Forum Agenda and Presentations]