DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has underscored the need for more sustainable measures to mitigate the impacts of the El Niño dry spell in the country.
Teodoro who also heads the government’s Task Force El Niño issued this observation during Wednesday’s launch of the “Gift of Tree” project in an Army headquarters at Camp O’Donnell in Capas, Tarlac.
Teodoro said actions such as water impounding would protect not only the environment but also the well-being of communities.
“We need more dams and water impounding systems. We are doing our share to protect the environment, and to have disaster risk reduction, we are talking already about quality of life, health, and public safety,” Teodoro said.
A water impounding system is described as a reservoir designed to store rainfall and water run-off during the rainy season for future use.
Teodoro also urged local government officials and the public to appeal to national leaders to carefully study locations for future water-impounding facilities in Tarlac.
He cited the importance of adopting the “sustainability and safety of downstream communities.
The Camp O’Donnell project is part of the agri-reforestation project dubbed “Water is Life” being jointly undertaken by the Philippine Army’s Armor Division and the Tarlac Heritage Foundation.
It aims to provide users easy access to sponsor a seedling for tree planting activities.
Teodoro gave assurance that the government continues to implement a comprehensive approach to mitigate the impacts of the El Niño phenomenon.
He said President Marcos Jr. is set to lead the launch of a portal that would serve as a vital tool in collecting data to navigate through the water supply shortages in the country.