Land use planning is crucial in ensuring that a metropolis is ready in avoiding flood and other related disasters.
Dr. Thongchai Roachanakanan, a senior architect from the Ministry of Interior of Thailand, emphasized this in his talk on ‘The Challenge of Land Use Planning in Reducing Urban Flood Risk’ during the Understanding Choices Forum at the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) Eduardo Aboitiz Plenary Hall last on August 28. He said spatial planning is a core component and process in preventing disasters caused by flooding, which, due to climate change, is now a common problem in almost all cities of the world.
Last August 20, RAFI launched its Understanding Choices Forum (UCF) Series on Water anchored on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals dedicated to water, or SDG 6. Speakers discussed “preparation and mitigation of effects of water-related disasters”.
Different stakeholders from government, civil society, community, academe, the youth, and private sector discussed water-related issues and the development of actionable steps and solutions that will ultimately contribute to SDG 6.
Experts from Project-Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (Project NOAH), Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-VII, and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-VII discussed ways on reducing vulnerability and exposure, geohazard mapping, and technologies for water-related disaster management.