LEGAZPI CITYOfficials and residents in this city are up in arms over a statement made recently by officials of the Local

Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) in Manila saying tap water here was safe to drink. Noel Rosal, city administrator, said he questions the authority of LWUA officials in Manila to declare tap water here as potable. What basis did LWUA have? Rosal said. It is baseless. He said if there was any agency that should declare whether or not water is potable, it should be the Department of Health. Rosal said LWUA should have informed the city government first about any test results on the water supply of this city in the same way LWUA did on a study done by University of the Philippines Natural Sciences and Research Institute (UP-NSRI) that found tap water here not potable. The UP-NSRI study was the basis for the health bulletin issued last week by the city government warning city residents against drinking water directly from the tap. Rosal said LWUA should instead investigate and take action on excessive water rates being charged consumers here. Many city residents complained of yellowish water coming from their faucets, indicating that water being supplied by PhilHydro, the company that has a 25-year contract to supply water to this city, is far from clean. The source of furor in this city was an interview over radio station dzIQ in Manila (a sister company of the Inquirer) with Antonio Magtibay, LWUA public affairs chief. In that interview, Magtibay claimed water from the tap in Legazpi City was safe to drink. Magtibay said in that interview that steps had been taken to reduce levels of magnesium, calcium carbonate and dissolved solids that make the water appear dirty.

PROVINCIAL WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Status: Completed A collaborative water resources and development and management project of the Albay Provincial Government and Aquinas University in partnership with other local government units and stakeholders. The water situation assessment report was being prepared when successive calamities struck last year, radically altering the province's water situation and prompting all stakeholders to shift to relief, recovery and rehabilitation efforts. Complementary to such efforts, Aquinas University, in partnership with US Peace Corps Volunteers and other NGOs promoted and initiated the production and use of Biosand water filters in schools, workplaces, households, and communities for safe, affordable and simple way of ensuring potable

water. - See more at: http://www.aq.edu.ph/index.php?p=main&s=ext&taskId=aqprograms#sthash.46xsUf8I.dpuf DPWH starts Albays P2-B flood control project Written by Tribune Wednesday, 31 July 2013 00:00 Print Be the first to comment! font size decrease font size increase font size

LEGAZPI CITY Albays strong disaster risk reduction (DRR) program is slowly transforming vulnerable areas into resilient communities, led by this city, with an ongoing P2-billion flood control project designed to save it from massive flooding. Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said the project will reinvent Legazpi City as an all-weather community and live up to its role as regional center of Bicol politically, economically, and as a model of disaster resiliency. The governor, who chairs the Bicol Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC), endorsed the project and sought President Aquino approval for it, during the Presidents first visit here three years ago. Salceda said the project is a modern flood control facility, with giant pumping stations installed in three strategic locations around the citys urban center covering the entire commercial, industrial and residential areas to flush out floodwaters to the Albay Gulf. The Department of Public Works and Highways has started work on the support structures with the initial P800 million earlier released by the Department of Budget and Management. Salceda has sourced out budgets from various funding institutions, national and foreign, to finance the provinces many DRR support projects, among them flood control and classrooms that double as evacuation centers, and installation of flood early warning systems around the province. Because of Albays strong programs on mitigation and resiliency, the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) has named the province its Global Model for DRR and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA), and Salceda as its Senior Global Champion. The governor now also sits as Board director of the Green Climate Fund, the finance arm of the UNISDR, representing Southeast Asia and developing countries. With a strong DRR and CCA programs, the province has earned the support of the international community, since most funding institutions are now focussed on the global problem of disaster mitigation and risk reduction, he said. The Legazpi pumping stations will be installed in the flood prone coastal barangays of Victory Village, Bonot and San Roque, following the construction of giant dikes along the Macabalo River. A jetty will also be constructed on the banks of Yawa River to maintain the steady flow of floodwaters and protect dikes from over-flooding, Salceda added.

Legazpi gets P500M to solve flooding problem JUNE 7, 2012 by BICOLMAIL in TOP STORIES By Manny T. Ugalde

LEGAZPI CITY For almost seven years now that the anti-flooding project for this city was hatched, the initial amount of P500M has finally been approved for release to start implementing the project.

City Mayor Geraldine Rosal told reporters that the Legazpi flood-control project was estimated to cost P2B.

Former mayor now City Administrator Noel Rosal, the incumbent mayors husband, said Albay Gov. Joey Sarte Salceda had pushed hard for the funding of the project through the Regional Revelopment Council. As RDC chairman, Salceda stressed that Legazpi, being the regional center and considered a tourist city, should be free from floods. The Albay governor has been an ardent advocate of risk reduction program that aims for zero-casualty whenever natural calamities hit his province.

Legazpi City is two meters below sea level during high tide which gets worse during the rainy season where almost one-third of the city is underwater.

The Rosal couple, however, disclosed that the project would be implemented by the city government and not by the Department of Public Works and Highways as originally expected.

The former mayor said DPWH Undersecretary Romeo S. Momo called last week informing him that DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson wanted the project completed soon under the city governments supervision.

Of the P500M to be released, P300M will be for dike and jetty structures while the remaining P200M will be for the two pumping stations located in Barangays San Roque and Baybay, the former mayor said.

At present, the city government is implementing the improvement of the 3-kilometer drainage system from downtown Legazpi to Albay district.

It will be recalled that during Typhoon Reming on Nov. 30, 2006, Legazpi was submerged by sea and flood waters from Mt. Mayon that the eastern side of Albay district where the provincial capitol and city hall are located was flooded by as high as 7 feet, forcing residents to flee to safer grounds.

Close to 2,000 people were killed by floods in Albay province and more than 200 in Legazpi City as a result of floods that cascaded down from Mt. Mayon.

Rosal said Legazpi Citys flood control system has been improving with the ongoing construction of flood-control and bridge projects from the national government. With the release of the P500M, he hoped that the citys flooding problem would significantly be alleviated.

Urban flooding Urban flooding is the inundation of land or property in a built environment, particularly in more densely populated areas, caused by rainfall overwhelming the capacity of drainage systems, such as storm sewers. Although sometimes triggered by events such as flash flooding or snowmelt, urban flooding is a condition, characterized by its repetitive and systemic impacts on communities, that can happen regardless of whether or not affected communities are located within formally designated floodplains or near any body of water.[4] There are several ways in which stormwater enters properties: backup through sewer pipes, toilets and sinks into buildings; seepage through building walls and floors; the accumulation of water on property and in public rights-of-way; and the overflow from water bodies such as rivers and lakes. Effects

Primary effects The primary effects of flooding include loss of life, damage to buildings and other structures, including bridges, sewerage systems, roadways, and canals. Floods also frequently damage power transmission and sometimes power generation, which then has knock-on effects caused by the loss of power. This includes loss of drinking water treatment and water supply, which may result in loss of drinking water or severe water contamination. It may also cause the loss of sewage disposal facilities. Lack of clean water combined with human sewage in the flood waters

raises the risk of waterborne diseases, which can include typhoid, giardia, cryptosporidium, cholera and many other diseases depending upon the location of the flood. Damage to roads and transport infrastructure may make it difficult to mobilise aid to those affected or to provide emergency health treatment. Flood waters typically inundate farm land, making the land unworkable and preventing crops from being planted or harvested, which can lead to shortages of food both for humans and farm animals. Entire harvests for a country can be lost in extreme flood circumstances. Some tree species may not survive prolonged flooding of their root systems [5]