November 19, 2009; 7-9 pm

Candia Town Office Meeting Room; Candia, NH 

Why is land and water important? Why does it need to be protected? Frank Mitchell and guests will discuss how land and water provides habitat for native wildlife and plants and “ecosystem” or natural services such as water quality protection, groundwater recharge, and flood control.

TJ Burgonio, Philippine Daily Inquirer

CONVINCED by its relevance today, President Gloria Arroyo on Tuesday (Oct 27) ordered the implementation of a Marcos-era urban plan for Metro Manila, including the sandbagging of flooded areas and construction of a spillway.

The President agreed with the recommendations on flood prevention made by architect and urban planner Felino Palafox Jr, who gave a PowerPoint presentation of the 1976-77 study “Metro Manila Transport Land Use Development and Planning Project” (Metro Plan), at a Cabinet meeting in San Fernando, Pampanga.

Chief among the recommendations were the pumping out of floodwaters and sandbagging of flood-prone areas, and construction of the P20 billion (US$422 million) Parañaque spillway linking Laguna de Bay and Manila Bay.

“We can ask BF to begin the master plan of Metro Manila, and then again back to the spillway option,” Mrs Arroyo said after the presentation, referring to Bayani Fernando, chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

The World Bank-funded study conducted by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was a comprehensive plan on land use development in the metropolis, but it was never implemented.

“This administration should not take all the blame because there was a Metro Plan in 1976, 1977,” Mr Palafox said as he began his 30-minute presentation at the residence of Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales.

Mrs Arroyo said sandbagging could immediately be implemented.

“We have what we can do between now and the end of the year. In the immediate, sandbagging is very good and practical,” she said.

Tropical Storm “Ondoy” (international name: Ketsana) dumped unusually heavy rains that inundated a vast swath of the metropolis on Sept 26. After a week, another storm, “Pepeng” (international name: Parma), pummelled northern Luzon, triggering heavy flooding and landslides.

Mrs Arroyo, however, sounded most excited about the Parañaque spillway, another means to divert water from Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay in addition to the Pasig River.

“And we should already ask the DPWH to work on the spillway,” she said.

In his presentation, Mr Palafox noted that there are 20 rivers that flowed into Laguna de Bay, and the Manggahan Floodway has been added to this. However, a spillway was not built.

“It’s like having a toilet without a flush,” Mr Palafox said.

The spillway can be a canal, a tunnel or an aqueduct like those built by the Romans, he said. “Even DPWH engineers say that with the spillway, the worst scenario is it will be 20 days flooding. Without it, at least 65 days of flooding.”

Mrs Arroyo proposed that the 8km long spillway be built alongside the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) on a property owned by the government to save money.

“The plan calls for the use of the entire length of the Naia runway along the fence toward the Parañaque River. On the end of the runway along C-5 or Taguig, the drain can pass through the Food Terminal, then on toward Laguna de Bay. That will use government lots and less relocation of homes,” she said.

Mr Palafox aired his reservations because the runway was longer than the spillway, and would pass through a bigger land mass, but he said this was an option that could be studied.

On the Metro Plan, he said the team that conducted the study, which included himself, encouraged the urban extension of the metropolis north-eastward toward Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City and some portions of Bulacan, and southward toward Parañaque and Canlubang, Laguna.

As for flood-prone areas, such as the Marikina Valley and the western shores of Laguna lake, they recommended “controlled development” and the installation of sewerage, drainage and flood control systems.

“Development happened, but the infrastructure was not put in place,” he said, referring to the non-implementation of building codes and zoning, among other things. “There was a big disconnect in regulatory problem between the ones giving permits, and the ones developing.”

He also said the plan would have covered 40 towns and cities, taking into account the people commuting from outside the metropolis, but this was overtaken by the Metro Manila Commission, which created 17 cities. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20091028-232655/Arroyo-orders-Metro-plan-implemented

NAGING katawa-tawa ang mga mayor at ilang nakikiangkas kapag may isyu para mapansin (lalo pa’t tatakbo sila sa 2010 kahit walang humahabol sa kanila) na, sa nakalipas na mga araw, ay nanawagan sa paggiba ng Ambuklao, Binga at San Roque dam sa Luzon.
Ang mga damuhong dam na ito raw ang sanhi ng paglubog ng Pangasinan at pagkalunod ng marami.
Kaya tulad ng nakagawian, kapag may isyu, masipag magtrabaho ang mga senador dahil, siyempre, live ang television news coverage at tiyak headline sila ng mga dyaryo kinabukasan, bukod sa bida sa sunud-sunod na breaking news at flash reports sa radyo.  Kapag may isyu ay Senate investigation agad
kahit hindi in aid of legislation, tulad ng nangyari sa pagtatalik nina Hayden Kho at Katrina
Halili.  Ikaw at ako ang gumasta sa walang kwentang pagdinig na ito ng Senado.  Siyempre, tulad ng nakalipas na mga imbestigasyon, wala na naman tayong nahita.  Sila, meron, siyempre.  Sumikat na naman sila at pinag-usapan.
Ito ang nangyari kahapon nang humarap ang mga bosing ng Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (na tulad ng Philippine Atmospheric, Astronomical and Geophysical Administration, na nakakabit din sa Department of Science and Technology, ay masisipag at walang sablay na mga ahensiya sa kabila ng di pagtulong sa kanila ng mga tinamang na politiko).
Para sa mga mayor at ilang rah-rah boys, nasa fault line ang ilang dam, magigiba ito at mas marami ang mamamatay.  Hindi natin alam kung ano ang laman ng tuktok ng mga mayor bago nagsalita, dahil puwede naman silang magtanong sa UP institute of geology, na siyang magpapatunay na matatag ang mga dam (kaya naman sa dinadami na ng malalakas na lindol ay nariyan pa rin ang mga yan at nagbibihay kuryente at patubig).
Ayon sa Phivolcs, wala sa fault line ang mga dam at kung tanaw ng mga ito ang fault line, itinayo ang mga dam na may engineering intervention para makayanan ang 7.8 magnitude na lindol.
Kung ang enggrandeng Hyatt Terraces sa Baguio ay gumuho nang lumindol, matitikas na nakatayo pa rin ang mga dam.
Oo nga naman.  kapag giniba na ang mga dam ay tuluy-tuloy na ang tubig mula sa Agno River pababa ng Luzon at mas marami ang babahain, wala nang kuryente at wala na ring patubig sa mga magsasaka para manuyo at di na matamnan ang kanilang bukirin at lumatag ang mas malalang taggutom.
Yan ang gusto ng mga komunista.  Ang maghirap at magkagulo.  Di ba’t ang unang nanawagan para isara na ang mga dam ay mga komunista?

BANDERA Editorial, 102109

Subhas Chandra Pattanyak

The Prime Minister of India is not expected to act as Dr. Man Mohan Singh. But Dr. Man Mohan Singh is refusing to act as the Prime Minister. This is the severest danger that democracy of India has been subjected to in this regime.

It is true, Dr. Singh belongs to the Congress party and heads a Congress led Government. But he has not been able as yet to convince us that he adheres to the principle that a man after becoming the PM of a multi-party-democracy like India should never act as a leader only of his party, but should rise above party timidity and act as the leader of the country.

Orissa run by a non-Congress Government has the bitterest experience of his partiality.

The National Institute of Science, earmarked for establishment in Orissa as per UGC framework, was, through clumsy conspiracy cooked up by him, changed to IISER and shifted to Kolkatta to suite his allies in West Bengal during the phase of his dependence on the Communists for survival in power. Had the Oriya intellectuals not registered their protests against the foul play and had the Oriya netizens not refused to remain silent, as several reports in these pages would show, the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) could never have come to Orissa.

We had exposed in these pages the political prejudices of Dr. Singh against Orissa when his Government had played the tricks in tackling the 2008 devastative deluge that had equally affected Orissa and Bihar. When Bihar, the province of the then Congress ally Lalu Prasad Jadav was immediately visited by Dr. Singh and supported with central aid amounting a thousand crores of Rupees, Orissa was ignored and only when criticism from the global community embarrassed his government, light feathers were asked to make a lackluster review of the flood of Orissa after the deluge was receded and a sum of only Rs. 98 crores was advanced as central assistance against an announced amount of Rs.500 crores. But, out of this 98 crores assistance, Singh’s government, after Orissa rejected the Congress in the general elections, insisted upon refund of 80 crores!

Commenting upon the scenario on July 12, 2009, we had mentioned,

“Orissa was discriminated against last year by Man Mohan Singh Government in the matter of central assistance to tackle the catastrophic damages wrecked by rivers in full spate. Even as Orissa damage was no less severe than that in Bihar, Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh and UPA Chief Sonia, then dependant on Lalu Pr. Jadav of Bihar for survival of their Government, rushed there and announced an instant assistance of Rs.1000 crores over and above the flood of funds Lalu was pumping from the Railways into that State as flood assistance. The Center deliberately delayed in having a survey of the spate in Orissa and when, much after the deluge had receded, the Union Home Minister made a reluctant visit to evade world criticism for negligence to Orissa on political grounds, he had announced central assistance worth only Rs. 500 crores in a face-saving attempt. But that the Union Minister’s announcement was a mere joke was unveiled as in reality the Union granted only Rs.98 crores.

It is shocking and surprising that out of this amount, the Union Government now wants refund of Rs.80 crores when on records in the Loksabha it has stated not to withdraw any fund from Bihar.

Orissa is undoubtedly discriminated against in absence of a legal guideline.”

It is a shame for our democracy that Dr. Singh’s Government has not yet released the promised amount of Rs.500 crores even as it has still been demanding refund of Rs.80 crores from the meager amount of Rs.98 crores remitted by NCCF. On the other hand, responding to recent flood in Andhra Pradesh and Karnatak, Singh has granted Rs.1000 crores each to these two States.

We do never want to say that these two States do not deserve more than what the central government has granted. But we certainly want to say, that Orissa should be treated with equal devotion.

Chief minister Navin Patnaik in his latest memorandum to Government of India has demanded that Rs 2687 crores be immediately sanctioned for resurrection of the State devastated by flood, one after one, since 2006.

This is a justified demand.

Orissa’s suffering is gradually increasing because of her inability to perfectly repair the damaged embankments and infrastructures due to rabid non-cooperation of the Central government. Had the announced assistance been released in reality, the State might have made solid reconstructions at specific points, which, in a way, might have stymied further decays. But by mischievously withholding the assured assistance, Singh’s government has played havoc with Orissa.

People of Orissa have refused to be hoodwinked by the agents of the American nuclear business and so, they have rejected the candidates of Singh’s party and the Congress has conceded defeat in Orissa.

With manipulators of EVMs available both to Navin and Singh, BJD victory over Congress is sure proof of people’s rejection to Congress.

This is democracy.

Instead of appreciating democracy, Singh has been playing the nasty game of discrimination against Orissa.

This nasty game shall have to be stopped. Dr. Man Mohan Singh must be made to know that he has the legitimacy to act as the Prime Minister. But the Prime Minister must be made to know that in a democracy like ours, he has no legitimacy to act as Dr. Man Mohan Singh.

On this premise, we the people of Orissa wholeheartedly appreciate Navin Patnaik’s role as our Chief Minister in protesting against discrimination and in pressing for flood related assistance that is Orissa’s due with retrospective effect as an equal partner in Indian Union.

We call upon Navin to resolutely proceed for complete stoppage of discrimination of one State against another by the political animals in power at the center.

In our comment cited supra we have stressed upon the need of formulation of a national guideline to regulate central assistance in case of natural calamities. We reiterate that this is the only way to stop the foul play. Hence, Navin should proceed for formulation of such a guideline in order to obliterate every possible scope of discrimination in future too.

If he feels, let him call for a mass movement against the Central discrimination and we are sure, in greater interest of Indian democracy, people of Orissa, except the shameless slaves of Sonia Gandhi, will gladly join the movement.

If he fails to develop such a just movement, it will be because of his lack of sincerity, not because of reluctance of the general public.

So, instead of stopping at the posting of his memorandum, he should, on principle, resolutely proceed to force Dr. Singh’s Government to stop discriminating against Orissa.

MAAARING pinagtatawanan ng ibang mayor sa Metro Manila ang programa ni Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco na hulihin, pagmultahin o kasuhan ang nagtatapon ng mga balat ng candy at upos ng sigarilyo.  Pero sa loob ng tatlong buwan, may 1,135 kataong burara sa kalye ang nahuli.  Pinagmulta sila ng P200 hanggang P1,000 at nag-community service.  Maaaring konting basura lang ang kanilang itinapon, pero balat ng candy yan at plastic, na di natutunaw.  Kapag nagsama-sama ay bara rin yan sa kanal, sapat at ilog.  Bara na baha ang dulot na puwedeng pumatay sa mga residente.  At kapag nalunod, masasabi bang sanhi ito ng basura na balat ng candy?  Kung bara sa daluyan ng tubig ang tingin ni Tiangco sa balat ng candy, mas matindi pa ang tingin dito ng batas sa Singapore.  Bukod sa basura, masamang tingnan na may nakakalat na balat ng candy sa lalakaran.

Rodrigo Manahan, BANDERA
100909

YAN na naman ang sisisihin sa malawakang pagbaha sa Pangasinan.  Ang San Roque Dam ay matagal nang nariyan, naglilingkod sa magsasaka, sa bayan.  Kapag kritikal na ang dami ng tubig sa anumang dam sa buong mundo, kailangang bawasan na ang tubig nito.
Ang pagbabawas ng tubig ng dam ay di lamang nangyayari sa Pilipinas.  Sa US, nagbabawas din ng tubig ang mga dam na aapaw na, pero halos walang nabibiktima ng baha dahil meron silang sistema kapag may dam.
Sa ilalim ng sistema, kailangang walang naninirahan sa kritikal na daluyan ng tubig kapag nagbawas ng imbak ang dam.  Kailangan alam ng mga residenteng malayo sa daluyan ng tubig ang peligro na maaari silang abutin.  Kailangan hindi marami ang residente, para madali silang makalilikas sa anumang oras na magbabala ang tagapagsalita ng dam.
Huwebes ng gabi pa lang, pinalilikas na ng isang mayor ang kanyang mga nasasakupan na babahain.
Hindi sila lumikas.  Biyernes ng umaga, nasa bubong ng bahay ang mga residente, na binansagan ni mayor na “matitigas ang ulo.”
Maliban sa mga nasa Batanes, walang paghahanda ang bawat pamilya sa parating na bagyo.  Sa Batanes, na madalas binabagyo, walang nagugutom, tumagal man ang bagyo.  Wala ring namamatay dito, kahit sunud-sunod an Signal 3 ang dumating.
Dahil handa sila.

BANDERA Editorial, 100909

KUNG di pa babaha ng grabe, at marami ang mamamatay, di pa magigising ang mga politiko (salot na ba sila sa lipunan?), na walang ginawa kundi ang pumorma’t magpasikat, magdunung-dunungan at magbait-baitan.
Ngayon ay isinususog na ni Rep. Edcel Lagman, vice chairman ng House committee on appropriations, ang pagkakaroon ng multi-year flood control program (ano ba yan?) na sisimulan sa susunod na taon(agad?). Sa simula pa lang ng proyekto, P10 bilyon agad ang ibubuhos para sa konstruksyon ng modern drainage systems, river dikes, desilting projects at flood prevention infrastructure sa mga bahaing lugar.  Parang narinig na natin yan dahil meron namang mga pumping stations.
Ano ang kinatatakutan natin?  Katiwalian.
Di ba’t kapag disiplinado ang taumbayan at sumusunod sa batas, malayo siya sa peligro ng baha?
Katiwalian ba o disiplina?

BANDERA Editorial, 092909

At around 2pm yesterday (Sept 26), as tropical storm Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) was battering northern Luzon and dumping a record amount of rainfall into the capital, Jesus Matubis Jr, an assistant vice-president of Maynilad Water Services, ventured out of his home to check up on the situation around Barangay San Antonio, Paranaque.  He waded through chest-deep floods, at one point losing a cellphone while negotiating a particularly dangerous crossing, and came up with these amazing images that chronicled the misery Ondoy wrought on a particularly vulnerable village in the city.

Most of his photos were taken along Hernandez Street, Valley 10 and 11, San Antonio Valley Subdivision. Heavy rains caused the Sapang Buaya cree to overflow, causing massive flooding in neighbourhoods lying along and near the waterway.

]]> http://dayuhangkayumanggi.wordpress.com/2009/09/27/waterworld-revisited/ Sun, 27 Sep 2009 03:29:53 +0000 emperorbananaketchup http://dayuhangkayumanggi.wordpress.com/2009/09/27/waterworld-revisited/

Halos taun-taon, nabibisita ang bansa natin ng tiga-anim or pito na bagyo.  Kadalasan, dumadalaw sila sa may Hunyo hanggang Setyembre; pwero na nga dahil sa El Nino, minsan pinaagahan sa may Mayo pa or pinatagalan hanggang Disyembre.

Ayon sa Wikipedia, ang pinakamasindak sa mga bagyo na dumating rito sa huling siglo ay ang Uring (na kilala bilang Thelma sa labas ng bansa) noong 1991; sinunod nito ang Rosing (Angela) noong 1995 at Ruping (Mike) noong 1990.  Halos makaabot ang death toll rito sa tatlong nito sa sampung libo habang ang halaga ng winasak nila’y lagpas na sa dalawampung bilyong piso.

Ngayon na mismo, binisita tayo ni Ondoy (Ketsana); nang dahil roon, halos buong araw kahapon nabawian ng kuryente; hanggang ngayon wala pa ring TV service (dahil SKYCable ang aming provider rito).   Habang naririnig ko ang mga bali-balita at (nang bumalik ang kuryente pagkahapon) sinunod ko mga tweets sa Twitter at pinanood ko pa mga video na pina-upload sa YouTube,   naaalala ko nga ang kabataan ko sa may Sampaloc na maituturing isang flood-prone area kahit noon pa.  Sa totoo lang, ilang beses na kami pinasukan ng tubig sa aming bahay.  Mabuti naman di naman kaming napilitang umakyat sa bubong para iwasan ang tubig-baha.  Nang lumipat kami sa may kalapitan ng Commonwealth Ave. sa QC, medyo namahinga kami sa pangamba dahil me kataasan ang lugar, pero ang paglalakbay papuntang trabaho’y minsan naging sinagabalan ng baha habang umuulan, lalo na nga sa intersection ng daanan nito at Elliptical Road.

Sa lugar kong tinitirhan ngayon, bihira rin ang naka-engkuwentro ng seryosong baha, pero na nga kahapon, akala ko’y pati subdivision natin, mapeperwisyo; mabuti rin naman medyo madaling lumaho ang ga-katiting na tubig-baha sa harap ng bahay ko.

Nandito ang ilan sa mga eksena na maituturing mo’y parang may balak na kunin ni Kevin Costner na Maynila bilang location para sa sequel ng pelikulang niyang “Waterworld”

Sa may Eastwood

Pasensya sa hirit ng conyong taga-kuha ng bidyong nito…

West Avenue naman…

Sa may Taft at Vito Cruz, kalapitan ng DLSU

Nang lumaho na ang tubig-baha

…akala mo’y isang higanteng espada’y binaon at dinukot!!!

Original theatrical trailer for Waterworld

Marami na nga natamaan nang dahil sa biglang pagpataas ng tubig, lalo na nga sa may kalapitan ng Pasig at Marikina rivers.  Walang nakaligtas rito, bata’t matanda, mayaman man o mahirap.

Cristine Reyes up on a roof

Pinasmandan rin ang kalagayan niya kahit sa Yahoo! News

Sa totoo lang, pagkatapos ng pagpopogi ng mga balak tumakbo para sa 2010  eleksyon, dapat na nga masdan natin kung ano tayo ang ginawa natin para iparating itong situwasyon sa ating lugar.  Huwag na natin sisihin ang Diyos, o si Mother Nature na nga…maaaring ginawa ng lahat na paraan mga opisyales natin sa gubyerno, mala-makapogi na o hindi, pero ang dapat bagsakin ang sisi ay ang bawat isa sa atin.

Masdan mo pag di mo tinatapon ang basura sa tamang lugar.  Kung kayo mong bulsahin ang mga katiting ng basura lang imbes na itapon na kahit saan-saan, di ka na sanang dinalawan ng sarili mong ebak na pinasok sa loob ng bahay mo sa tubig-baha.  Minsan kinaiinisan ko nga talaga pag medyong nahihirapan akong maghanap ng basurahan lalo na nga sa mga upscale na tambayan.

Isa rin kong dapat iparinggan ko sa may balak tumakbo sa 2010; puwede ba ninyo ipadagdag sa plataporma ninyo ang pagbubuo ng isang Disaster Task Force na may kasamang amphibian vehicles, choppers, jetskis, bulldozers atbp.

OP Tomica Hero Rescue Force

Di nga kailangan gaanong ka-hitech, pero na nga dapat maasahan talaga at madaling silang mag-respond lalo na nga paglabas ng babala mula sa PAGASA (wala bang pag-asa ang PAGASA – o hindi ba sila talaga maasahan?).

Sa totoo lang, dapat gawing krimen rin di lang ang squatting mismo pero ang pagpro-protect sa mga squatters.   Huwag mo ipadaan sa akin na mga mahihirap na nga sila, wala silang alam atbp…kaya na nga madaling silang mauutuhin ng mga “trapong” pulitiko.  Ang parusa nito di lang sa mga squatters pati rin naman ang mga “squatter-coddlers” ay dapat KAMATAYAN.   Para sa mga mahilig magtapon ng basura sa pinakamalapit na estero o daluyan ng tubig, dapat sila itali’t i-dunk sa tubig na pinarumihan nila ng sariling ihi, ebak, burnik atbp.

Lira Dalangin-Fernandez, INQUIRER.net

SOME 5,000 families in Parañaque are in need of food and clothing after evacuating from their homes due to flooding brought about by typhoon Ondoy (international name: Ketsana), Rep. Roilo Golez has said.

Mr Golez said he was expecting the number of flood victims to rise as reports from village coordinators continued to reach him.

In a text message, he said a number of families remained in their homes, although the area was already flooded.

Mr Golez said village officials had been mobilised for disaster response. A number of volunteers were also packing food items for distribution to affected families.

He said he had asked Defence Secretary and National Disaster Coordinating Council chairman Gilbert Teodoro and Navy chief Ferdinand Golez for trucks to distribute relief goods.

Mr Golez said he himself was stranded in the Red Cross-Parañaque branch, which was supposed to have its office blessing.

He said areas in the city that never experienced flooding in the past were now flooded due to the typhoon now battering Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog.  http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20090926-227049/5000-need-food-clothes-in-Paraaque-City

tro/view/20090926-227049/5000-need-food

-clothes-in-Paraaque-City

James Catapusan, Manila Bulletin

PARAÑAQUE Mayor Florencio Bernabe Jr has ordered the City Planning Office to inspect factories and commercial establishments, as well as private homes, whose lots are lying near the banks of the Parañaque River and its tributary creeks.

Mr Bernabe issued the instructions following a Supreme Court ruling and upon the directives of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to cities and municipalities in Metro Manila, Rizal, Laguna, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga and Bataan.

City Planning Officer Benigno Rivera immediately acted on Mr Bernabe’s directives and requested barangay government units to help it check whether the firms and houses concerned had wastewater treatment facilities or hygienic septic tanks as prescribed by existing laws, ordinances, rules and regulations.

According to Mr Rivera, if the factories or commercial establishments lack wastewater facilities, sanctions will be implemented against them. They will face closure depending on the gravity of the offence, while home owners will be imposed fines and other sanctions.

The city government will exact compliance to prevent industrial wastes, sewage water and human waste from flowing into the river. http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/221320/inspect-factories-firms-bernabe-orders-office

Groundbreaking for the Lahaina Flood Control Project begins in just six weeks, with flood protection to extend from Lahainaluna Road to Puamana.  The project is designed to provide a 100-year level of flood protection with water to be released at Makila Point through the Kauaula Stream and at Launiupoko.  Permit approvals have been obtained for the $6.26 million Phase 1 of the project.

A public informational meeting will be held tonight (Wednesday, September 16, 2009) to discuss the impacts and overview of the project.  That meeting runs from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Lahaina Civic Center.

The Lahaina Watershed Flood Control Project is a federal-local partnership involving the County of Maui, the West Maui Soil and Water Conservation District, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.  Once completed, the project will provide flood protection to businesses and residences in the Lahaina town area through a system of waterways to intercept and divert floodwater.  A series of sediment basins are also designed to trap rocks and sand to reduce sediment discharge into the ocean. Floodwater will be released into the ocean at two locations to reduce the concentration of floodwater impacts to the reefs.

The informational meeting will include an overview of the project and a discussion of the upcoming construction activity and its impacts on traffic, shoreline and ocean areas, and environmental and community resources. The community is encouraged to ask questions and provide comments at the meeting, which will be facilitated by County of Maui Department of Public Works staff and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The contractor, Kiewit Pacific Co., has received the permit approvals required for the start of construction.  Phase 1 of the project will be the installation of the outlet structure, highway culvert, and sediment basin at Launiupoko, two-thirds of a mile south of Kauaula Stream.

(Posted by Wendy Osher;  information provided by the County of Maui)

Cris Odronia, The Manila Times

THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Friday appealed to families living along the banks of Ibayo creek in Parañaque to voluntarily leave the area and give way to the agency’s flood control project to ease flooding in Sto Niño village.

The agency had blamed illegal structures alongside the creek as the major cause of flooding in the area during the recent heavy downpour along Sucat Road.

“Informal settlers living alongside danger zones such as creeks, canals and rivers have no other choice but to find other relocation sites for their own safety,” said Baltazar Melgar, head of the agency’s Flood Control Management Service.

Mr Melgar, who had been coordinating with local officials of Parañaque to solve the flood problem in the area, said these “settlers” were issued notices to voluntarily vacate their shanties last month. He said clearing shanties along the creek would free up the waterways and ease the flood problem along Sucat Road.

He said other families who would be affected by the MMDA’s flood control project had started to voluntarily leave the creeks’ banks.

Mr Melgar added that 25 families had decided to avail of the P3,000 financial assistance provided by the MMDA in coordination with the office of Sto Niño barangay captain Ismael de Leon.

Around 125 informal settlers had been found to be squatting along the banks of the creek, disposing their garbage directly into the waterways, choking water flow and causing the creek to rise above the 1m high railings of the Sto Niño Bridge.

Besides the widening of the creek, the agency had also undertaken pipe-laying and improvement of the drainage system along Sucat Road. http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/sept/12/yehey/top_stories/20090912top10.html

"This home in Montrose was gutted by mud, rocks and water that came through the back of the house". 1934. Los Angeles Public Library. Photo 29145.

You get a big, messy debris flow glunking down from some very steep mountains, smothering everything in its path, including that house built well, right in its path.

This massive Station Fire, which has been written about so eloquently, cogently, and concisely in so many places, has County flood managers bracing for the onset of the rainy season (generally October-March). In other words, very soon.

And if you’re a creekfreak, you know what that means:  vegetation removal in the “channels,” and this year, big-time debris basin maintenance (where a lot of creeky habitat has taken up shop) as well.  Indeed, an AP story reports the process is underway:

“The basins are being examined to determine how much they may need to be cleaned out to create capacity, and channels are being examined to make sure they are free of obstruction such as overgrowth, Pestrella said.”

Every year, the County Flood Control District and the Army Corps of Engineers engages in a difficult ballet (it may feel more like hand-to-hand combat) with environmentalists over how much vegetation can be removed from rivers and streams soft-bottom channels.  The engineers’ arguments are that the channels were designed for storm capacity based on the assumption of no vegetation in the channels.  To allow trees etc to remain is to reduce the capacity of the channels – and that’s an enhanced flood risk.  Environmentalists look at the performance of past storms with vegetation and argue for maintaining the native vegetation (there’s a range of positions on the enviro side, but that’s generally the bottom line).  And the agencies responsible for issuing these permits usually comes up with a way to allow some clearance, while offsetting the loss of habitat with mitigation.

I said usually.  Mark Gold, Executive Director of Heal the Bay, reports in his Many Rivers to Cross post on Spouting Off that this time around the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the first line of defense for upholding federal water quality regulations, approved the County’s 401 Certification (that’s Clean Water Act lingo for water quality certification) by letting a year go by without administering a decision.  In whose universe do permits (even impactful ones) get automatically approved if they’ve not been reviewed within a given time period? I’m all for expediency,but approval-by-neglect is a policy begging for exploitation.

Just ask Mark.  He says:

What hurts is that the application did not commit the county to provide adequate protection for existing aquatic life beneficial uses, nor did it require any meaningful further mitigation requirements for lost riparian habitat as a result of channel maintenance.

He also notes that there were 100 segments of waterway covered under this permit.  So to protect ourselves from the fire-denuded mountains, our homely rivers/channels that have soft bottoms and riparian habitat will also likely be denuded.  And if this is so, it is habitat that loses, once again.

A resident pedals his pedicab on a knee-deep flooded road in Paranaque.  Some streets in Metro Manila were flooded on Sunday after overnight rain brought by Typhoon Labuyo, internationally referred as Typhoon Dujuan.  The flood affected a stretch of Sucat Road from Ninoy Aquino Avenue to Evacom, causing heavy traffic and leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.  A crew from the city engineering department reported that the main cause of flooding in the area was a temporary bridge used during the construction of the C-5 extension road.  Debris collected under the bridge during heavy rains and high tide, causing water to rise and overflow. http://www.paranaque.gov.ph/news/2009/09/solving-the-flooding-problem-by-saving-the-p’que-river/

Dujuan. http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//090906/ids_photos_wl/r2948093102.jpg/

On Aug. 31, it’s time to defend our river, our recreation, our wildlife, and our property-

Don’t forget the public meeting the City is holding tonight, August 31 at 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM in the City Council Chambers.

Here is a letter from Dr. Chuck Trost. If you are interested in birds and live in Pocatello, you know who he is.

Back in the 1960s, Pocatello suffered two extraordinary floods on the Portneuf River, which runs through the middle of town. Before long Pocatello interests had cooked up a scheme with the ever willing Army Corps of Engineers. The mentality of that era was to put the river in concrete box through the most developed part of town and build a levee for several miles to the north and south of the box.

I wasn’t around in the 1960s, but when I moved to town, the Portneuf was an ugly, creepy channel, with poor public access (but who wanted it anyway?) with trash, a little brush, and noxious weeds growing on the levee, which ran through semi-agricultural areas.

Nature heals. As time went by the levee brush grew into trees of many species. The water became shaded and many kinds of birds returned (maybe someone could provide a list?).

Embarrassed by the condition of the river through town, city leaders looked with envy at places like Boise and Idaho Falls that had not ruined their local river, but had made a parkway along it. Little could be done about the concrete box (it was useful for drowning feral cats!), but the city tried. Parks were built along part of it. The Portneuf Greenway Foundation, however, did much more for the levee with an ambitious trail plan with now includes side trails leading up into the mountains. Many hundreds of of people use it daily.

The levee itself is neglected and certainly needs some work if it is to provide flood control, but the Corps, in a fashion so typical of their history, apparently wants to cut all “trees” with a circumference greater than 2 1/2 inches! To me that means pretty much all the woody vegetation. So it will be back to the 1970s or 60s if they get their way.

Of course, the word is out that we need the flood control. If the levee is not recertified maybe 500 people will have to buy flood insurance. Flood insurance is going to be the big argument.

Regarding flood insurance, consider this.

1. The floods of the 1960s are very unlikely to happen again. Acts of God they were not. They were what is to be expected when the upstream watershed is cultivated on very steep erodible slopes, left bare soil, or planted in winter wheat during the winter there is a big rainstorm on top of deep melting snow. Since that time, most of these fields have been taken out of production by the Conservation Reserve Project (CRP). The slopes no longer bleed thousands of tons of mud with every storm.

2. The levees have never provided much protection. The levees were not built to withstand floods like the 1960s. They only provide minor flood control now and in the past. Although they were certified so that houses could be built next to the river and people don’t have to buy flo0d insurance to get a mortgage, the levees do not really protect these houses from much.  If the residents knew this, they would probably be buying flood insurance now.

Someone might say, “fine, you live somewhere that you don’t have to worry about the river!” Not so! We bought an existing house right on the river. We own right to the Portneuf’s water line.

The Portneuf River at waterline between the levees. The river is full (irrigation water diverted is returned in autumn).
The top of the levees, not in sight, are about ten feet above the waterline. Photo Ralph Maughan

We also bought flood insurance. We didn’t worry much about the levee, but after two years it was pretty clear there was a significant flood danger, but not from the Portneuf.  The City had allowed development on the deltas of all the small tributaries of the Portneuf that run off of Kinport Peak just to the west. It became obvious to us after several hard rain storms and one winter when a tributary froze over that we didn’t live on a five hundred year flood plain or even a fifty year flood plain. We lived on one that flooded almost every year. We shelled out $300 for flood insurance. Now we don’t worry when the street in front of our house turns into a river nearly every cloudburst. I’m sorry for our neighbors, maybe they have purchased flood insurance too.

So, reject the Army Corps plans meant for decades ago.  They have never provided much flood control with their levees, and it will be the same after they are done turning them back into a muddy, alternatively dusty and weedy messes.  You are going to lose more property value if they cut the trees than any flood insurance will cost you.

Oh, and think about the increased railroad noise with no buffering vegetation!

The City is holding a meeting August 31 at 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM in the City Council Chambers. There will be a presentation as to what the City has learned about the Corps plans, and the public will be able to speak.

Story. Rule surprises Greenway Board. Idaho State Journal.

In an effort to promote greater government efficiency, the NJMC today announced plans to work with the state Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to share the permitting process for certain development applications within the Meadowlands District. Under the proposal, NJMC engineers would perform preliminary technical and administrative reviews for several NJDEP permits often required for local projects, creating the potential for a more efficient review process without modifying any regulatory standards.

“Two agencies working jointly to achieve greater efficiency is a textbook example of how government can do more with less,” said Joseph Doria, Chairman of the NJMC and Commissioner of the state Department of Community Affairs. “By pooling our resources we can share the permitting process and maintain our high regulatory standards.”

“This agreement with the Meadowlands Commission allows the DEP to focus its expertise completely on protecting the environment and reflects the DEP’s ongoing efforts to improve the environmental permitting process,” DEP Acting Commissioner Mark Mauriello said.

The NJMC and NJDEP will draft a memorandum of understanding outlining the permit efficiency plan in the coming weeks. The agreement must be signed by both agencies before it can take effect, and it would not in any way change the standards or requirements that exist for permit compliance.

Under the proposal, NJMC engineers could review Meadowlands District property owners’ applications for Waterfront Development and Flood Hazard Area permits, a process that normally begins at the NJDEP. Commission staff is particularly well-suited for this task given their knowledge of the local area and its hydrology, and their understanding of the permitting process. As a result, property owners with compliant projects may be able to receive their permits sooner, which would allow them to get started on approved work more quickly than had been possible in the past.

When reviewing the permits, the NJMC’s evaluation would be limited to just the preliminary technical and administrative considerations. The NJDEP would remain responsible for all environmental reviews and final review of the NJMC’s assessment of the technical and administrative sections.

“When government runs more efficiently everyone benefits,” said Robert Ceberio, Executive Director of the NJMC. “This is an excellent opportunity for the NJMC to use its resources to improve the quality of life for residents and business owners in the Meadowlands District.”

Meadowlands District property owners are eligible for more than $323,000 in flood insurance savings thanks to the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission’s (NJMC) flood control efforts, which were recently recognized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for exceeding national standards. More than 2,300 commercial, industrial and residential property owners in the District are eligible for a 15 percent savings through FEMA when they renew their policies or purchase new flood insurance.

“We are pleased that the NJMC’s dedication to flood control projects has resulted in significant insurance savings for District property owners,” said Joseph Doria, Chairman of the NJMC and Commissioner of the state Department of Community Affairs. “The Commission will continue to work hard to combat flooding in an effort to further improve the quality of life for all those who live, work and travel through the Meadowlands.”

The discounts are provided through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating System. The program offers reductions on flood insurance to the owners of property within the jurisdiction of towns and regional planning agencies – such as the NJMC – that go above and beyond national flood control standards.

The NJMC was recognized by FEMA this spring for efforts which include several large-scale flood control projects, such as:

• A $5.5 million project – the largest in NJMC history – that involves help from Bergen County and the state Department of Transportation to reduce flooding on Route 17 near the Rutherford–East Rutherford border
• A $1.4 million upgrade of the West Riser Tide Gates in Moonachie, which protect Teterboro Airport and its surrounding area
• Restoration of the Asia Place drainage system in Carlstadt and Moonachie, a $328,00 project that safeguards a large industrial section of both municipalities.

FEMA also commended the NJMC for exceeding federal flood control standards in a number of other areas, including open space preservation, flood data maintenance, stormwater management standards and drainage system maintenance.

“By proactively implementing new flood control measures and diligently maintaining our existing programs the NJMC has made great strides in reducing flooding in the region,” said Robert Ceberio, Executive Director of the NJMC. “Our top priority is protecting people and property, and it is great to see that our hard work is helping people save money as well.”

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In March 2009, the US EPA’s Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds launched a Water Quality Video Contest to inspire environmental stewardship and educate the public on ways individuals can improve water quality in their community. They received over 250 video submissions. NJMC engineer, Brad Miller, received an Honorable Mention award in the contest for his video promoting the importance of keeping storm drains clean from debris.

Check out his video and the others here.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has determined the Meadowlands District will increase to a Class 7 in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS).  Because of floodplain management activities implemented by the NJMC, properties within the District now qualify for a 15% discount in flood insurance premiums for NFIP policies issued or renewed after May 1, 2009.

Some of the many steps the NJMC implemented to achieve these cost savings for District businesses and homeowners include:

• Maintaining Elevation Certificates for District municipalities
• Furnishing Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) information requests
• Public outreach projects
• Requiring 100-year flood plain delineation
• Providing flood protection information
• Open space preservation
• Requiring new structures be elevated at least one foot above the base flood elevation
• Flood data maintenance
• Enforcing stormwater management
• Floodplain management planning
• Draining system inspection and maintenance.

In its continuing effort to reduce regional flooding, the NJMC is deploying a one-of-a-kind digital flood control system that employs cutting-edge military technology and runs on solar power. The technology allows engineers to monitor the condition of multiple Meadowlands District tide gates in real time and without leaving their desks.

“The NJMC has long been a leader when it comes to using alternative energy and new technologies to improve the quality of life for those that live, work and travel through the Meadowlands District,” said Joseph Doria, Chairman of the NJMC and Commissioner of the state Department of Community Affairs. “This creative new project will go a long way in helping us maximize our existing efforts to combat flooding in the Meadowlands.”

The new system, which was approved by the Commissioners at the NJMC’s last meeting, includes solar-powered monitoring devices called remote deployment terminals (RDTs). The devices will be placed throughout the Meadowlands District on 12 older tide gates that are considered key to protecting critical and developed areas from flooding. The heavy-duty terminals are powered by the sun and operate at night and on cloudy days using a solar-charged back-up battery.

The RDTs are literally battle-tested, having been used in Iraq by U.S. troops and on Humvees to transmit data, via satellite communication, from the battlefield in real time. In the Meadowlands, scientists from the Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute, the scientific arm of the NJMC, adapted the RDTs to transmit data from the tide gates on rising or falling water levels. Once the system is deployed, NJMC engineers can monitor any changes in water level by computer, 24-hours a day. The technology allows engineers to ensure that tide gates are working properly and if problems are discovered, to make repairs before storms hit.

The project also illustrates the importance of the NJMC Business Accelerator, which opened in October to support entrepreneurs as they launch their businesses, especially those focused on alternative and green technology. One of the Accelerator’s clients, Gotham Analytics, designed the data collection and management system for the tide gate project, a critical element to its overall success.

“This cutting-edge project is the result of a unique partnership between MERI scientists and entrepreneurs at the Business Accelerator, and it illustrates exactly how the NJMC’s support for emerging, green-technology businesses can provide real benefits for the Meadowlands District,” said Robert Ceberio, Executive Director of the NJMC. “This new technology not only helps significantly with our ongoing flood-control efforts, but it does so in an environmentally-friendly manner.”

The tide gate monitoring system is one of several flood-control projects totaling more than $8 million that the NJMC has pursued throughout the District in the past five years. This includes a $5.5 million project – the largest of its kind in NJMC history – with Bergen County and the state Department of Transportation to reduce flooding on Route 17 near the Rutherford–East Rutherford border. The Commission has also launched a $1.4 million upgrade of the West Riser Tide Gates in Moonachie, which protect Teterboro Airport and its surrounding areas.