Pinuna ni House Ways and Means Chair Joey Sarte Salceda na ang mabagal na investments sa Bulacan kung ikukumpara sa Metro Clark at Calabarzon ay dahil na rin sa kawalan ng flood protection sa lalawigan ng Bulacan.
Ayon kay Salceda ang pagresolba sa baha ang syang dapat na unahin sa Bulacan at isang integrated flood control program ang dapat na isagawa at hindi uubra kung “localized solutions” ang gagawin.
“without integrated flood control and centralized land use and planning, Bulacan and North NCR is doomed to even more flooding” pahayag ni Salceda na syang pangunahing may akda ng panukalang Bulacan Ecozone Law.
“Flooding was already worsening in Bulacan even before the airport construction started. Doing nothing will continue to make things worse,” giit pa nito.
Tinukoy ni Salceda na ang dahilan ng pagbaha sa Bulacan ay bunsod ng fishpond development at subsidence.
“The area is a marsh. Fishponds impound water, making it harder for water flow out to the sea and reducing the capacity of the area to absorb water. The ground, meanwhile, is continually declining in elevation as more groundwater is used up, or a phenomenon we call subsidence. That’s why we really need surface water resources for Bulacan, and we need to connect people to piped water so they don’t use up groundwater.”paliwanag ng mambabatas.
Inihalimbawa nito ang posibleng mangyari sa Bulacan sa insidente sa Jakarta, Indonesia gayundin sa Mexico City na lumubog sa 32 feet.
“Without an integrated flood control program for Bulacan, the flooding will get worse. That is especially because Bulacan is sandwiched between two major flood control projects, namely the KAMANAVA flood control project and the Pampanga River Flood Control system. Where else will the water go but Bulacan?” dagdag pa nito.
“And it also makes obvious why Bulacan has lagged behind CALABARZON and Metro Clark in generating large private investments. It is not protected from flooding risks by a major flood control system of its own.” paliwanag pa ni Salceda.
Sinabi ni Salceda na hindi kakayanin kung gobyerno ang syang sasalo sa gastusin sa flood control project sa Bulacan kaya nangangailangan na pumasok ang tulong ng private sector.
“That’s why the ecozone is important. First, it’s the best way to do piped water and stormwater management. It has a favorable tax regime, and the locators will generate revenue, so a utility can be sustained. Second, it will create a clear private sector stake in flood control because they will not allow their investments to be washed away. Third, it ensures that we can plan across LGUs, because flooding does not respect municipal boundaries.” pagtatapos pa ni Salceda. Gail Mendoza
