The government’s release of P1 billion for Project NOAH is expected to strengthen the country’s ability to forecast floods, monitor hazards and design more effective disaster and climate-resilience measures, according to University of the Philippines Resilience Institute Executive Director Mahar Lagmay.

The Department of Budget and Management released the funding to the UP System in August to enhance Project NOAH’s artificial intelligence-powered flood forecasting, real-time hazard monitoring and disaster prevention capabilities. Of the allocation, P935 million is earmarked for research services and P65 million for project management and administration.

Lagmay, a UP geology professor, said the expanded funding would allow the UPRI-managed program to further translate scientific data into practical tools for flood management and disaster risk reduction.

He said he hopes the government’s support for UPRI “will continue to transform scientific knowledge into practical action that protects lives and helps build safer, more resilient, and sustainable communities.”

The funding comes as the country continues to grapple with widespread flooding and increasingly severe weather events, underscoring the need for disaster preparedness that relies on scientific data and forward-looking risk assessments.

Faster, more precise flood forecasts

Lagmay said Project NOAH’s impact-based forecasting system is being developed to identify a day in advance where flooding may occur and how it could affect roads, homes, buildings and traffic.

“The P1 billion allocation for UPRI will be measured by better information, transparency, evidence-based governance and decision-making, effective flood management, and reduced disaster risks and losses,” Lagmay said.

The project’s expanded work will include high-resolution mapping of major river basins, hazard assessments, land-use planning and Oplan Kontra Baha initiatives in coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, local governments and private-sector partners.

It will also support Light Detection and Ranging or LiDAR drone surveys, capacity-building programs with state universities and colleges, native tree mapping, sediment erosion assessments and the mapping of hidden waterways.

Nature-based flood mitigation measures, artificial intelligence and data analytics for disaster risk management are likewise among the areas targeted for development.

Project NOAH was launched in 2012 to strengthen the country’s capacity to monitor, assess and respond to natural hazards. The program is now managed by the UPRI.

Science to guide flood-control projects

The NOAH funding also comes as the government seeks to make flood-control infrastructure more responsive to actual terrain, hazard and climate conditions.

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon has ordered the updating of flood management master plans nationwide, with the agency working with UPRI’s Project NOAH, local governments and other agencies to integrate hazard maps and scientific data into their implementation.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on 2 September that the government was already implementing a flood-control master plan that had existed for decades.

“We already have a masterplan. It's just never been executed. We are only executing it now,” Marcos told reporters after inspecting damaged bridges in Tarlac.

“We have had a master plan for decades pero walang ginawa. Ngayon lang natin sinisimulan (but nothing was done. We are only starting it now),” he added.

The President’s remarks came as Central Luzon, Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon faced widespread flooding following heavy monsoon rains. The administration has called for long-term measures including improved drainage, waterway clearing and dredging, and better land-use planning.

The government’s approach seeks to move disaster management beyond responding after floods and other hazards strike toward anticipating risks and acting before they become disasters. The DBM said the NOAH funding is intended to give government and communities better tools to determine where danger lies, who is at risk and what action is needed before disasters occur.

UP President Angelo Jimenez described the funding as “an investment in the power of research and innovation to serve the nation.”

“We do research because knowledge matters, and knowledge matters most when it can help us make better decisions, solve real problems, and improve the lives of our people,” Jimenez said.