The University of the Philippines (UP) Resilience Institute (UP RI) – Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH) Center handed over the complete plans during the Final Project Turnover Meeting for the Quezon City Drainage Master Plan (QCDMP) Project on Wednesday, January 24, 2024. This joyous event was organized by the Quezon City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (QCDRRMO), the principal office responsible for the formulation of the QCDMP Project with the help of UP RI. Representatives from the different local offices of the project’s Technical Working Group and researchers from the Flood Modelling Component of the UP RI – UP NOAH Center are all present at the Situation Room of the QCDRRMO building in the City Hall compound.
The QCDMP is a 2-year project of UP RI with the QCDRRMO, Office of the City Administrator, QC Engineering Department, and other relevant offices of Quezon City (QC), with the aim to help provide solutions to the existing flooding problems of the city and serve as the long-term framework for flood management projects. It commenced in July 2021 until December 2023.
Dr. Emmanuel Luna of UP RI and Social Scientist for the QCDMP Project gave the opening remarks lauding the local government of QC as the DMP is a concrete manifestation of the LGU’s vision in responding to the challenge of climate change and disaster risks. It shows the commitment of QC to uplift the condition of the communities affected by flooding. This is an example of an effective partnership and collaboration between the LGU and the academe, combining expertise and resources. This collaboration also provided opportunities to learn from the communities and understand the real flooding situation in QC. In high spirits, everyone agreed that having a concrete DMP is a significant step and will be the beginning of a new era of city planning for Quezon City.
Ms. Patricia Anne Delmendo of UP RI, the Project Coordinator and member of the Project Management Team for the QCDMP Project, provided some information about the contents of each of the three volumes of the final output. Present to accept the three volumes of the drainage master plan are ACA Alberto Kimpo from the Office of City Administrator (OCA), EnP. Ma. Bianca Perez (QCDRRMO), and Mr. Ricardo B. Corpuz (BCRD). Dr. Alfredo Mahar Lagmay, Team Leader of the QCDMP Project and Executive Director of UPRI was also present via Zoom.
As the project comes to a close, ACA Alberto Kimpo emphasized the importance of tapping the academe and research to improve projects of QC. Dr. Alfredo Mahar Lagmay thanked the local government of QC for the opportunity that allowed UP RI to operationalize its research. He expressed his hope that the work done for the QCDMP would help the stakeholders and look forward to more collaborations with QC in the future.
