Is there a solution for the Philippines’ flood problem?

Many parts of the Philippines were recently submerged in floods as Super Typhoon Carina struck the country earlier this week.

Among those who were greatly affected by the calamity was Arjel, a security guard. 

He was on his way back home from work when a big wave hit him and he fell off a 20-meter cliff in Rodriguez, Rizal.

“Nu’ng time na nandoon na ako sa ilalim ng bangin, nakakapit ako sa puno para hindi ako agusin papuntang malayo. Nagsisigaw ako ng tulong,” he said.

[“When I was at the bottom of the cliff, I tried holding onto a tree so I wouldn’t be swept further away. I shouted for help.”]

Arjel was rescued by nearby residents Troy and Gio and was taken to the hospital.

“Maraming-maraming salamat sa pagtulong mo. Akala ko talaga nu’ng panahon na ‘yun wala nang tutulong sa akin sa lugar na ‘yun kasi hindi ko rin alam na mayroong tao du’n. Kaya sa ginawa niya ay talagang lubos na lubos akong nagpapasalamat sa’yo. Sa pagtataya mo rin ng buhay mo,” Arjel said.

[“Thank you so much for saving me. I really thought at that time that no one would help me. I didn’t know whether anyone was living in the area. I am sincerely grateful. You even risked your life while saving me.”]

Meanwhile, Jessica Soho visited the Resilience Institute at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, whose mission is to study the changing weather conditions, their severe impacts, and how we should prepare for them. 

They assist in investigating disaster risk reduction and management in the Philippines, led by Dr. Mahar Lagmay.

According to Dr. Lagmay, it is undeniable that the rains brought by the Super Typhoon were really heavy.

“Pati ‘yung mga datos sa PAGASA na more than 400 millimeters of rain. Medyo nag-exceed pa nga doon sa value ng Ondoy. Although ‘yung Ondoy mas packed within six hours na-deliver ang rain,Ganunpaman malakas ang ulan, at kapag ang ulan na ‘yun ay pumatak at nasa lupa ay mamumuo ‘yun, dadaloy, pupunta sa mga ilog.” he said.

[“According to data from PAGASA, Super Typhoon Carina and the southwest monsoon brought over 400 millimeters of rain. Those values exceeded Typhoon Ondoy’s, although Typhoon Ondoy delivered more rain within 6 hours. With that much rain, you’d expect it to be absorbed by the land and flow to the rivers.”]

Dr. Lagmay said that the issue of flooding in the country is a complex problem.

“Pero tanggapin natin na tayo ay nasa typhoon belt. At dahil nasa typhoon belt, maraming bagyo, maraming ulan, ‘yung mga ulan na 'yon ay sadyang magbabaha ng mga lugar na floodplains na tinatawag. So kailangan maging smart din tayo,” he said.

[“We have to accept the fact that our country is located along the typhoon belt. This means more typhoons and more rain. That rain will flood low-lying areas, so we have to be smart about it.”]

Dr. Lagmay also cited that some scholarly articles linked the many reclamation projects in Manila to the aggravated flooding.

He fears that the problems we are experiencing now might get even worse in the future.

“Ang ano ko ngayon, huwag gumrabi pa e. Kasi magkakaroon ng population growth. Magkakaroon ng climate change. Lalaki ang baha,” he said. “So hindi ba ngayon e tamang panahon na na mag-isip tayo na paano ba nating idi-decongest ang overcrowded na metropolis ng Metro Manila.”

["“I hope it doesn’t get worse. Our population will only grow, and we have to worry about climate change too. Floods will get worse. So this is the right time to think about ways to decongest the overcrowded metropolis.”]

PH’s costly flood control projects
Dr. Lagmay said that the government spends at least one billion pesos per day on the so-called flood control projects.

“‘Yung project na flood control na niloan natin sa World Bank ay worth P358 billion yata. ‘Yun ‘yung ginawa natin sa Metro Manila. 356 days in a year, lumalabas roughly P1 billion a day,” Dr. Lagmay said.

[“We borrowed around P358 billion from the World Bank for the flood control project in Manila. With 365 days in a year, it comes out to roughly P1 billion a day.”]

However, he thinks that it should not only be allocated to interventions and infrastructures.

“Planuhin nang mabuti. Katulad nu’n, kikita mo ‘yung subdivision na ‘yun na nasa flood plain. Aangal ‘yung mga tao na nabaha sila. Pero kasi natural na parte ng river ‘yun. So dapat ‘yun may zoning ordinance ‘yun. Huwag kang magtayo doon,” he said.

[“We should plan it thoroughly. For example, there’s a subdivision that’s on a flood plain. Residents there will complain that there’s flooding, but that’s natural. So we need to have a zoning ordinance. Houses shouldn’t be built there.”]

The UP Resilience Center collaborated with the Department of Science and Technology to build Project NOAH, or Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards.

It is an interactive map that is said to be a great help to Filipinos whenever there is a disaster, such as a flood.

“Pumunta kayo sa noah.up.edu.ph tapos alamin ‘yung inyong hazard sa inyong kapaligiran or neighborhood,” Lagmay said.

[“You can visit noah.up.edu.ph to learn about the hazards in your area or neighborhood.”]

Is there a solution for the Philippines?

For Department of Public Works and Highways NCR Director Loreta Malaluan, it seems like the flood problem in Metro Manila is really a complicated case.

“Sa tingin ko po ay hindi natin masasabing wala talaga, zero ang pagbaha dito sa Metro Manila. Kaya nga po ang tinitingnan ay gaano kabilis ang pagbaba ng baha? Gaano kabilis sila dadaloy palabas ng ating mga kailugan, she said”

[“I don’t think there will ever be zero flooding in Metro Manila. Instead, we should focus on how quickly floodwaters can recede and how fast they flow into and out of our drainage systems and waterways."]

“Sa ngayon operational lahat halos ng ating mga pumping stations. Ang nangyari lang mas mataas ang tubig doon sa ating mga kailugan dahil sa sobrang ulan nga. Kaya hindi natin maipump-out yung ating tubig. Bumabalik lang po. Siguro umpisahan natin sa kanya- kanyang sarili natin para makatulong po tayo. Kasi hindi po kaya ng national government lang,” she added.

[“Almost all of our pumping stations are operational. It’s just that there was so much rainwater that the pumps couldn’t keep up. We need to help in our own small ways because the national government alone can’t completely stop the flooding.”]

Meanwhile, as a solution, Dr. Mahar recommends urban planning.

“I-decongest kung saan may lugar, planuhin natin na mabuti tapos doon mag-settle, magtayo ng mga malls sa ligtas na lugar,” he said. “So if the place is well-planned o malaki pa ‘yung space, na marami pa naman ang Pilipinas na ganung space. Indonesia did it. ‘Di ba, Indonesia transferred their capital.”

[“We need to decongest, figure out where people can relocate to larger spaces, and put up malls in safer areas. The Philippines has plenty of space; we just need to plan for it. Indonesia was able to do it. They relocated their capital.”]—JCB, GMA Integrated News