President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday once again suggested the construction of weirs upstream to mitigate the flow of floodwaters inundating low-lying communities, particularly in Rizal and Metro Manila.
President Marcos made the suggestion as he presided over a situation briefing on the effects of Tropical Storm Enteng and the enhanced southwest monsoon in Rizal province at the Ynares Events Center in Antipolo City.
“Bakit hindi tayo gumagamit ng weir? A weir is not a dam. Dumadaan ‘yung tubig but you can control the level of the water by the weir. It’s just I see them in other places eh and its really effective. (Bakit) wala tayong ganun?” President Marcos remarked.
“I see it in many, many places, and it seems to be very effective. It’s an old, old, ancient technology. I don’t know why we don’t use weirs. We should incorporate that into our designs. Palagay ko sa flood control. Pag-aralan nga natin,” he said.
The Europeans have been using weirs for the last millennium, making them the best in water management, President Marcos said, adding that he has seen them being utilized by almost every country in the continent.
The President asked concerned agencies, particularly the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), to explore the possibility of using weirs for flood control projects.
“Because I know its effective. Very adaptable sa atin ‘yan eh. I bring it up because of what I saw in the video, ang bilis ng tubig, kung hindi ganun kabilis ang tubig then ‘yung fatalities natin baka ‘yung ilan dun baka hindi na nalunod. This is a technique that is very effective when it comes to flood control,” he pointed out.
President Marcos first suggested the use of weirs during a situation briefing in San Mateo, Rizal, on the effects of Typhoon Carina and the Habagat.
A weir is a small barrier built across a stream or river to control and raise the water level slightly on the upstream side, essentially a small-scale dam.
It is used to prevent flooding, measure water flow, and hold excess water that can be used for irrigation.
A weir generally allows the water to flow over the crest (which is the top) or sometimes underneath certain sections. On the other hand, dams mainly allow water flow to be regulated or controlled by gates or spillways. PND
