South Korea's flood-prediction technology to help shield Philippines from disaster

South Korea's flood-prediction and disaster management technology is being transferred to the Philippines.

The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology announced Thursday that it has built a rainfall radar-based observation infrastructure in Tanay, Rizal Province — the upstream watershed of Metro Manila, the Philippine capital region — as part of a project to upgrade the country's flood forecasting and warning system.

The project is an international cooperation initiative aimed at applying South Korea's flood-prediction and disaster management technology to the Philippines in response to growing flood risks driven by climate change across Southeast Asia. The institute completed installation and commissioning of the Tanay rainfall radar in May, laying the groundwork for full-scale operations. Following test runs and joint inspections, the project is on track for completion by November next year.

Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, have seen a rise in urban flooding and river overflow caused by short-duration heavy rainfall and typhoon-driven downpours. Metro Manila and the area surrounding Laguna Lake are particularly vulnerable, with dense populations and critical infrastructure concentrated there, making real-time rainfall monitoring and early warning technology increasingly vital.

Conventional ground-based rain gauges are useful for measuring rainfall at specific points but fall short in capturing the spatial distribution of concentrated downpours. Because urban flooding can develop rapidly over a short period, high-resolution rainfall observation and fast forecast data production are essential.

A research team from the institute's Water Resources and River Research Division worked with the Philippine Meteorological Administration to build the rainfall radar observation system in Tanay. The Tanay rainfall radar will monitor in real time the spatial distribution and movement of rainfall that ground gauges alone cannot capture, and will be linked to flood prediction models to support early warnings and disaster response decision-making.

Park Seon-gyu, president of the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, said the project represents "a leading example of international cooperation in applying South Korea's flood-prediction and disaster management technology at an overseas site." He added that the institute would continue working to strengthen climate disaster response capabilities in developing countries and help spread sustainable water management technology.