RAMON, Isabela — The Philippine government entered into an agreement with the Kingdom of Norway for the improvement of the flood forecasting and warning system (FFWS) of Magat Dam in a bid to reduce loss of lives and damages to properties due to floods in downstream communities.

The signing ceremony, led by Secretary Estrella F. Alabastro of the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) and Ambassador of Norway to the Philippines Knut Solem, was held recently.

Dr. Prisco D. Nilo, administrator of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and Kim Lande, country director of SN Power Philippines, witnessed the signing of the agreement.

Under the grant agreement, the Kingdom of Norway through the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) will contribute P71.2 million ($1.52 million) to cover the improvement of existing FFWS facilities and expansion of the monitoring facilities of the Cagayan river basin. The project will also looked into the existing dam protocols of Magat. The Philippine government will contribute a total of P9.3 million for the public information drive, labor and civil works. Of the total local counterpart, P3.4 million will come from SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP)-Magat, Inc., while the rest will be provided by PAGASA and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA). Total project cost is about P80.6 million.

Lande said that SN Power Philippines felt very strongly about the project, citing corporate social responsibility (CSR) as the driving force that brought the project to Norway. “It was very important for us to convey to the Norwegian government the merits of the project especially in terms of mitigating loss of lives and livelihood in the downstream communities,” he added.

Meanwhile, SNAP-Magat, Inc. Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Rubio emphasized the significance of the agreement in the aftermath of typhoons that devastated North Luzon in October. “When we assumed operation of the power plant, we saw the need for rehabilitating the FFWS system and equipment to better contribute to PAGASA and NIA’s disaster mitigation capabilities in times of flooding,” Rubio said.

He added that as part of its corporate social responsibility, SNAP-Magat, Inc. made representations with the Norwegian government for possible funding of the Magat FFWS rehabilitation to support the government and communities in disaster response, management and mitigation.