The Task Force El Niño is eyeing to construct water impounding facilities or high dams in select areas in preparation for the emergence of La Niña in the second half of 2024.
Among the areas mulled for the establishment of these flood-mitigating structures is Zamboanga City.
"One of the instructions of the President and the Secretary of National Defense, who is the chairman of Task Force El Niño, is to prepare impounding facilities for the storage of excess water," Task Force El Niño spokesperson Assistant Secretary Joey Villarama said.
"The president said we should use the excess water so that when we need it, we can use it so that we won't have a water crisis," he added, saying that the high dams will serve as multipurpose dams.
"High dams are multipurpose; they will be used for the storage of water; they can have a hydropower component, an aquaculture component, a tourism component, among other things," he noted.
As part of the mitigating measures, the government coordinating body said they will also be reassessing flood-prone areas through hazard mapping, desilting and dredging of rivers, and crafting evacuation plans.
Under the Executive Order No. 53, Series of 2024, a Presidential Task Force was created to enhance agency coordination in formulating and implementing measures that will mitigate the effects of the El Niño and La Niña phenomena.
Its mandates are to develop a comprehensive disaster preparedness and rehabilitation plan for the El Niño and La Niña phenomena, aiming to provide systematic, holistic, and results-driven interventions to help the public cope and minimize its devastating effects, among others.
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said that there is an increasing possibility of La Niña occurring in June.