Death knell for Laguna de Bay?
Editorial

Death knell for Laguna de Bay?

Dec 16, 2024, 1:28 AM
Opinyon Laguna News Team

Opinyon Laguna News Team

Writer

Some bit of news that was buried among the current controversies hounding our political landscape: the national government has reportedly shelved prospects for dredging Laguna de Bay.

A prominent business newspaper reported recently that among six public-private partnership (PPP) projects that were "delisted" from the pipeline is the P763.54-billion Laguna Lake Rehabilitation and Development Project.

While the article did not specify the reason the project was delisted, it noted that reasons for delisting the six projects included rejection by the Implementing Agencies upon evaluation, changes in mode of implementation, and delisting by the Investment Coordination Committee of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) during the approval phase.

With weather disturbances expected to become more intense due to the effects of climate change, the government’s decision to scrap this project will cost more in the future.

Recently, local officials in Laguna province discussed the prospects of relocating the thousands of residents living along the shoreline of the lake, as they prepare for the expected stronger typhoons that are expected to exacerbate flooding along Laguna de Bay’s shore.

Notably, almost nobody was talking about plans to dredge and deepen the lake, even as – laughably – the private sector has had to step in and offer their services to dredge major waterways leading to Laguna de Bay.

True, the costs of making Laguna de Bay deeper may sound astronomical and impractical at first sight. Coupled with the other priorities the national and local governments have at the moment, increasing the lake’s water capacity does not even sound economically appealing.

But as environmentalists, urban architects and even some government officials have insisted in the past, letting Laguna de Bay fall victim to the effects of pollution, unchecked urbanization and climate change will cost us more in the end.

We’re not just talking about the cost of relocating the thousands of residents who may be forced to abandon their homes if Laguna de Bay continues to rise, but the untold billions in immediate and long-term damages to property due to massive flooding.

#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #OpinYonNews #EditorialStories #LagunadeBay #NEDA


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