Nature-Based Holistic Response to Flooding

Who was it who said that tampering with nature in the name of lopsided development – like cutting trees and denuding forests, converting bodies of water to commercial frontiers, and building roads on top of erstwhile rivers – will result in an irreversible human crisis as never before?

Dr. Mahar Lagmay, a respected geologist who inspired the NOAH Project, had long advocated for nature- and science-based solutions to perennial flooding. The NOAH Project, or Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards, is a pioneering initiative that uses advanced technology to provide accurate and timely information on natural hazards, including floods, to help communities prepare and respond effectively.“Maraming lugar na binaha, daanan talaga ng tubig pero nilapatan natin ng kalye,” referring to many Metro cities formerly water pathways. In my conversations with world-renowned green architect and urban planner Jun Palafox last year, he consistently espoused a comprehensive, holistic green development plan for metropolitan cities. He cautioned against costly band-aid solutions that never solve but exacerbate flooding.

Sustainable practices, respecting nature, and the use of appropriate technology, such as advanced flood forecasting systems and resilient infrastructure, are crucial in our fight against flooding.

For three days this week, heavy rains from the Habagat or Southwest monsoon combined with tropical cyclone Carina unleashed massive floods on various roads in Metro Manila.  Our relatives residing in Parañaque, Makati City, and Manila were shocked by the sudden rise in water levels.  Urban poor and subdivisions alike, submerged in floodwaters, forcing nearly 3,000 residents to evacuate and leaving motorists stranded on the road for hours, disrupting businesses. Deaths reached 10 in coastal communities in Northern Mindanao, Mimaropa, Davao, and Caraga. Over 1.2 million people across almost all regions, with 82,000 people requiring evacuation. Around 441 areas reported flooding, including Metro Manila.

Using the online hazard map from Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards), Dr. Mangahas highlighted the flooded road section of Commonwealth Avenue, which was once a natural water flow area.  It dawned on me that similar occurrences of severe flooding are common in communities adjacent to bodies of water. I learned about a long row of houses built of light materials in Tondo, Manila, near North Harbor, where I had worked as a community volunteer in my teens, swept away in seconds. The houses of second-line generations of urban poor withstood storms in the past and the Pandemic, but this time, their houses gave way.

Metro Manila is the capital region and the country’s largest metropolitan area, comprising 16 highly urbanized cities and one independent municipality, Pateros, located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay. It is here that the controversial $1 billion reclamation project, led by Imelda Marcos, was constructed in 1974. This project involved reclaiming land from the sea to create new urban areas, which, according to environmental experts, can disrupt natural drainage systems and exacerbate flooding. Today, it has 21 proposed and ongoing reclamation projects, which, according to the DENR itself, can threaten marine ecosystems and fishermen’s livelihoods, and could worsen flooding in urban centers. A joint assessment by the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute and the Marine Environment and Resources Foundation (MERF) conducted last April cautioned that reclamation can exacerbate flooding in low-lying urban cities and municipalities.

Back in Bicol, Naga City saw a replay of flooded streets, with nearby Camaligan, where the Bicol River straddles, a picture of homes with submerged ground floors. Low-lying Rinconada towns where IP communities live struggle to cope with frequent flooding. Flooding serves as a constant reminder of inadequate development planning, particularly in terms of insufficient drainage systems. Despite allocating trillions of pesos for flood control programs, floodwaters continue to rise. Declogging waterways remains a quick fix. A lack of clear policy or inadequate enforcement of environmental laws allows harmful practices to persist. Funding is plentiful, but the Tabang Bikol Movement and CSOs want more transparency, so that the government invests allocated financial resources in long-term drainage and flood management systems that reach the grassroots, where impactful action is needed directly. More partnerships with all meaningful stakeholders, not just those with a political alignment, can help amplify efforts in awareness and advocacy initiatives.

With the onset of the Habagat, or the southwestern monsoon, over the Philippines’ area of responsibility from July to September, according to PAGASA, everyone is now on high alert.  It means in the following months, we expect rain and flooding. If we are to believe various environmental studies that predict cities will submerge by 2030 due to sea level rise, driven by climate change and increased rainfall patterns, this is worrisome.

The communities ravaged by floods are not mere statistics, but households submerged under a deluge of neglect. I hope for technology that can stop heavy rainfall. If none are yet available, we need to explore more innovative, technology-based, holistic approaches at the grassroots level to mitigate the impacts. We need to move fast.