The Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) head here is hoping to acquire Automatic Weather Stations (AWS), noting that rain gauges in the city are no longer working.
Rizal Benatiro said on Monday all the rain gauges in Dumaguete that were installed with the help of the GIZ, a German funding agency, are no longer functional and could not be upgraded because the units are now obsolete.
He said an AWS has a rain gauge that can check the water level and the velocity of floodwaters to help people in low-lying areas prepare for possible evacuation.
The bidding process is ongoing for the acquisition of AWS units at the cost of PHP7 million, he added.
Rain gauges are normally placed in upstream portions of the river to give time for the people including the first responders in the lowlands to prepare before a rise in the water level.
In one instance, spillways in Dumaguete were closed to motorists and pedestrians because of an oncoming flood, even if there was no rain and the weather was fair in the city, as it was raining hard in nearby Valencia town, causing the river water to rise.
Benatiro said the disaster risk reduction management council wants a visual confirmation of data derived from the AWS to make sure the water level corresponds to the numbers sent to the control room.
A proposal to set up closed-circuit television cameras near the system is also considered, he said. (Juancho Gallarde)
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