DILG to launch infra audit tool in preps for the ‘big one’
THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will be checking out the structural integrity of buildings as part of its preparation for the possibility of a strong earthquake or the “Big One.”
According to Undersecretary for Local Government Marlo Iringan, the Department is set to launch an infrastructure audit tool that will assess the status of the buildings in the metropolis and nearby areas.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) has said that about 3,200 structures are along the West Valley Fault, while 12 to 13 percent of residential buildings are forecast to sustain heavy damage in the onslaught of a “Big One.”
Iringan, who represented Secretary Jonvic Remulla during the 2nd Earthquake Preparedness Summit on Tuesday, said that the Harmonized Infrastructure Audit (HIA) tool will be utilized to ensure the resilience of buildings against earthquakes.
Secretary Remulla sits as the Vice Chairperson for Disaster Preparedness of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
“This tool will establish a national standard for assessing local public infrastructures, particularly their vulnerability to high-magnitude earthquakes,” Usec Iringan explained.
He said the tool, which will help LGUs identify the priority structures subject to infra audits, will be pilot-tested in the National Capital Region, Region III, and CALABARZON.
