The country's first flood mitigation project utilizing South Korean floodwater collection technology will be implemented in the town of Palo, Leyte.
John Glenn Ocaña, the director of the Department of Science of Technology (DOST) 8 (Eastern Visayas), stated that the PHP28 million Rainfall and Stormwater Runoff Management Technology for Tropical Catchment (RainS-TECH) project is now underway and scheduled for completion by 2026.
Detailing the technology
Building infiltration trenches in Baras village and the town center is the main element of RainS-TECH. Rainwater from nearby surfaces is collected by linear ditches called infiltration trenches. Water seeps into the ground quickly due to their very absorbent soils.
The Palo municipal hall building will also have a rainwater collection system installed as part of the project.
Replicating RainS-TECH in other populated, flood-prone areas of the nation is an option after it is piloted in Palo and benchmarked in South Korea.
People behind the technology
The project was implemented after a recent study in the town under the direction of Prof. Marla Maniquiz-Redillas, a professor in the civil engineering department at De La Salle University in Manila.
On June 28, 2024, representatives from partner agencies signed a memorandum of agreement for the project.
The Eastern Visayas State University, the Philippine Science High School - Eastern Visayas Campus, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Irrigation Administration, the state weather bureau PAGASA, the local government unit of Palo, the provincial government of Leyte, DOST, and others are partners in this initiative.
