Group 2 members conduct field visits and training in the Philippines
September 25, 2023
HyDEPP-SATREPS Group 2 members, Dr. Mohamed Abdul Rasmy Wahid (Study 2 leader) and Asst. Prof. Vicente Ballaran, Jr. (UPLB/ICHARM/GRIPS), visited the Philippines last August 20-25, 2023 to conduct training and field visit in the target sites of the project.
On August 21st, the researchers together with Engr. Keane Carlo Lomibao and Asst. Prof Leunell Chris Buela (Group 2 members) had an ocular visit in Sta. Cruz and Bay Municipalities in Laguna. The group focused on flood-prone areas and bridges to view rivers connected to Laguna Lake.
The following day, Dr. Rasmy and Asst. Prof. Ballaran held a Workshop Training in Hydrologic Modeling at Ornamental Crop Nursery, UPLB. This was attended by Dr. Patricia Ann J. Sanchez (Project Manager), Dr. Rubenito M. Lampayan (Study 2 Leader), other project members and MS students. An overview of the WEB-RRI was presented by Dr. Rasmy while Asst. Prof. Ballaran outlined the recent findings of his project on agricultural monitoring and flood/drought risk assessment. In the afternoon session, Dr. Rasmy showed participants how the WEB-RRI works which was then followed by a hands-on experience on WEB-DHM in reference to the Angat led by Engr. Allan T. Tejada, Jr. (Group 1 member) and Dr. Sanchez.
After staying in Laguna, Dr. Rasmy and Asst. Prof. Ballaran next visited the Pampanga River Basin. From Candaba, Pampanga to San Isidro, Nueva Ecija, the researchers stopped at certain bridges to view the river and examine the surrounding areas to see possible water levels when typhoons hit.
On August 24th, the members visited the National Irrigation Administration - Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (NIA-UPRIIS) Office in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija to make a courtesy call and guided tour of irrigation networks. In addition, they dropped by Pantabangan Dam, Masiway Dam, and Rizal Dam which are all interconnected with the Pampanga River Basin. Aside from UPRIIS, a visit was made to the NIA Region III Office in San Rafael, Bulacan to learn more about the Angat-Maasim River Irrigation System (AMRIS).