Nature-based Flood Control Strategy for Bulacan, Pampanga Slated for 2027 Rollout

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said it hopes to roll out nature-based flood mitigation solutions for Bulacan and Pampanga in 2027. “I think next year we can have this already. By around the second quarter of 2027, we can implement this,” Public Works Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon told reporters on Wednesday. The agency has tapped global consultancy Haskoning and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to develop a plan for deploying nature-based flood management solutions for the north shore of Manila Bay, Bulacan and Pampanga. “This is a complex intervention but it is a nature-based intervention. Let us wait for final designs and concepts,” he said, noting that at present the DPWH has no estimate for the project cost. Nature-based flood control strategies include restoring wetlands, developing water detention basins, and reviving old channels. The ADB and Haskoning have committed to complete the studies within six months, Mr. Dizon said. “By next year, we can begin the process of implementing the project but for others like the detention basin maybe we can start that by January,” he said. The DPWH plans to establish six detention basins in Pampanga and Bulacan as early as the first quarter of 2027. These basins will be built in Santo Cristo, Baliwag; Bulihan, Malolos; and San Vicente, Malolos, as well as three sites in Pampanga. Detention or retarding basins are designed to store rainwater during high rainfall or peak flood volume. — Ashley Erika O. Jose