TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Sixty disaster risk reduction management stakeholders underwent a two-day training on the Community-Level Evaluation and Assessment of Rain-Induced Landslide Susceptibility or Project Clears.
The Department of Science and Technology-Cordillera and the Kalinga State University (KSU) conducted the training for local government disaster risk reduction management officers (DRRMOs), participants from the Office of Civil Defense, Mines and Geosciences Bureau, provincial engineering offices, DOST provincial offices, and KSU.
The training aimed to orient the participants on the Rain-Induced Landslide Susceptibility: A Guidebook for Communities and Non-Experts and on the use of mobile application to enhance existing Disaster Risk Reduction Management Information System (DRRMIS), and conduct of test on actual risk assessment reports accessible in the DRRMIS.
The fundamental resource used in the project was the guidebook developed by a team of researchers and geotechnical engineers of KSU led by Dr. Daniel Peckley Jr., a DOST balik scientist.
The guidebook features an assessment procedure enabling non-experts to determine if a certain site is prone to rain-induced and shallow-depth landslides.
To apply knowledge learned from the training, an actual data gathering was held on Feb. 23 at Ileb, Nambaran along the slide-prone area of the national highway.
Data were reported to the mobile application developed by KSU was uploaded to the website.
On long-run tests, DRRMOs will be responsible in inputting data gathered from site specific landslide risk assessment with DOST to manage the web application.
KSU President Eduardo Bagtang said Sen. Loren Legarda provided P5 million for Project Clears which was equitably transferred to participating state universities and colleges (SUCs).
Thirteen SUCs partnered with KSU to train communities.
“The assessment tool will save lives. It also guides families to locate on safe grounds; where to build houses and communities on settlements,” Bagtang said, adding a single life saved from dangers of landslides is very significant.
Gov. James Edduba through Provincial Administrator Teddy Gullay assured the provincial LGU’s support to the project and other future collaborative programs and projects with DOST, KSU, and other agencies. – Peter Balocnit
April 25, 2024
