Manila, Sept. 3 -- Environment Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna has ordered the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to ramp up the use of drones, satellite imagery, and near-real-time forest disturbance alert systems to detect environmental threats early and reduce risks to downstream communities.

The directive was issued following the catastrophic debris flow and flash flood near the Nepal-China border that caused thousands of deaths and massive infrastructure damage.

Cuna said the Nepal disaster underscored the need to manage environmental and geologic risks from forested headwaters to communities downstream.

"Protecting our forests and watersheds requires timely information and decisive action," Cuna said in a news rel...