Surigao del Norte piloted for disaster mitigation project

Davao City (25 May) — Municipalities in Surigao del Norte were chosen as pilot areas for a project that would help local government units (LGUs) identify disaster risks and incorporate mitigating measures into their local development plans.

The “Integrating DRR/CCA Project,” or Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in Local Development Planning and Decision-Making Process, aims to provide high-risk LGUs a guide in identifying options for collective responses to common risks.

Surigao del Norte was chosen as a pilot area following its formulation of a DRR-enhanced Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan (PDPFP). Under the said plan, the provincial government has identified Surigao City and the ClaGiBa (Claver-Gigaquit-Bacuag) cluster as high priority areas for DRR interventions.

As part of the Integrating DRR/CCA Project, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), together with the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board, conducted field inspections to validate hazard risks identified by the LGUs and generate their support for the project.

The team, led by Regional Development Coordination Staff Director Susan Rachel G. Jose, was able to identify an eroded riverbank in Bacuag and several rain-induced landslides along the newly constructed highway from Surigao City to Claver.

The Integrating DRR/CCA Project is expected to produce a Reference Manual that would showcase a risk assessment methodology and suggest entry points for mainstreaming disaster and climate risks reduction in land-use plans.

The project is being implemented by NEDA, with support from the United Nations Development Programme and the Australian Agency for International Development. (PIA)