Essay Introduction about Flood in the Philippines
The Philippines generally and Metro Manila specifically is a city prone to flooding by its very nature and locality (Warren, 2000). Nevertheless, the city has grown and developed into a world trade commercial center that is always controlled by torrential waterfalls that make it lose its beauty. The Pasig River, which crosses the Manila City, is a landmark that collects the spills of natural waterways and drains excess water occasioned by heavy rains. Manila, Philippines, is characteristic of the heavy downpour that always results in dense flooding that literally disrupts business, learning, and transport as schools and offices are indefinitely closed immediately the rainy season begins.
Background on the Flood
Flooding affects every region of the Philippines neighborhood, and several low-lying regions in the Manila City, such as Espino, Taft, Malabo, and Valenzuela, are usually among the worst hit in every series of flooding that occurs in Philippines (Bankoff, 2003b). Neglect of friendly flood control measures and deeply rooted political interests in the concept of environmental conservation are factors involved (Fano, 2000). Damaged watersheds, enormous slum dwellers living in the echelons natural waterways, and the total disregard for the city’s drainage system continue to make the city of over 15 million people much chaotic, more uncertain, and highly vulnerable to high dense series of flooding.
Geographic Location
Metro Manila City is located in a semi-alluvial floodplain whose escapement is a formation of sediment flow that emanates from the Malabon-Tullahan and Meycauayan the riverbeds far north and the Marikina riverbed in the east (Catalina, 2012). The city stretches onto a land area of approximately 636 kilometers square and measuring nearly 20 kilometers in length, stretching along a north-south axis with an area that again stretches for another 22 kilometers (Afuang, 2001). Geographically, the city is open to Manila Bay unto the western side and adjacent to Laguna de Bay, a large water mass on the southeastern frontier.
Bankoff (2003a) observes that due to these geographical facts, the metropolitan region is made up of a massive urbanized drainage basin that receives frequent instances of river water outbursts that renders the existing system to wobble heavily from the canals that were constructed in the ancient regimes during the Spanish colonial period. In spite of the ever-growing vulnerability to these torrential water masses, rapid urbanization continues to be embraced in the Manila main drainage strip with residential homes, commercial sites, and heavy industries being built in these waterways with no regard to future considerations (Catalina, 2012).
The Climate of the Country
It is no doubt that it floods in the Philippines because it rains, while the rains and the Typhoons that occasion these flooding incidences normally increase in magnitude, observers opine that this is a duty of climate change, and it would be necessary to set out a work plan to stop this menace (Fano, 2000). As Badilla (2008) notes, the weather patterns and rainy seasons are increasingly becoming unpredictable which in essence result in sustained heavy rains that runs for days none stop causing severe flooding in most parts of the country. Large areas of the Manila City and other adjacent cities such as Quezon and Navotas have always shared in the problem as the rainy season sets in (Afuang, 2001). Poor weather conditions and flooding often damage vegetable plantations while heavily reduces the supply and drives up the costs of food; in effect, it makes life unbearable for the greater population of the Philippines nationals (Flood disaster mitigation and river rehabilitation by Marikina City, Philippines, 2013).
The risks of flooding in the vast Philippines nation is worse off increased with the potential effects of climate change that is taking place in most parts of the world. Usually, serious flooding is occasioned in the months of August to November, and naturally, most of the flooding that occurs in the low-lying urban region are spill-offs from the slopes overlooking the Sierra Madre mountain strip along the eastern valleys of Marikina (Badilla, 2008).
Research Paper about Flood Control in the Philippines: History of Flood Management
Much of the Philippines flooding history, Manila region was the heart of great flooding trends, while the Pasig River and its branches like Marikina River, which were the main passageways to several settlements in the upcountry (Bankoff, 2003b). Despite that, the fact that the river had a series of destructive flooding instances, the riverbanks has always been considered a potential settlement by those who could hardly afford to obtain land or establish a business in the safer areas of the city (Flood disaster mitigation and river rehabilitation by Marikina City, Philippines, 2013). Right from the onset, the population in the Philippines preferred to utilize the water from River Pasig to other sources of water for domestic consumption. Over the years, drawing points stretched to near the banks of the city, and the supply of this commodity was always polluted.
Following numerous failed attempts to mitigate this problem and manage the quantity of the supply of water, the Board of Water and Sewerage Commissioners formed to counter this menace tasked the city’s water engineering to discern and assess the variables in this concept (Bankoff, 2003b). The strategy of attempting to mitigate floodgates of water by taking the water point offshore continued inwards with slam dwellers increasingly encroaching on the waterways until the extension became impractical. As the populations continue to grow, the seizure of the suburban region also continued to expand, giving Manila City the need to construct additional pumping stations.
According to Bankoff (2003a), this necessitated the digging of new lake tunnels which were well supplied by intakes that fed the cribs, and by 1898 the task of combining several pumping systems and tunnels ended up in this present-day integration, a system with enhancements which stands out as the present supply of Philippines springs. In those years, the Pasig River was mild such that after the installation of the waterways, it became obvious that flooding was a menace. In addition, the construction of the many industries along the Manila City downtown further made the problem hard to accommodate (Flood disaster mitigation and river rehabilitation by Marikina City, Philippines, 2013).
Recent Floods (New Flood’s Happened in 2013-2014 or 2012)
In recent years, instances of heavy downpour resulting in massive flooding have been witnessed in various parts throughout the Philippines. Flooding in the Philippines, in most cases, is occasioned by heavy rainfall at the mountainside or in the upper regions in the Manila north. The rains in these regions have been characterized by torrents, and so massive floods descend in the Manila City and other adjacent towns. In 2013, the worst flood was recorded as having reached over 30 feet that left many houses submerged as a business came to a standstill while learning in most places were called off for the better part of the rainy season.
Manila, by its nature, is an urban city-state that historically and up to date has had a series of water pollution problems (Badilla, 2008). It is no doubt that the flooding problem in the Philippines is because of the poor drainage management in Manila City and its internal waterways (Afuang, 2001). The Pasig River is nonetheless a contributory factor, and it is most probable that the north shore does not sufficiently discharge its waterways sufficiently whenever it rains because of the slum settlements and other industrial projections in these waterways.
According to Bankoff (2003a), several Philippines cities fall short for these harmful practices, which under normal circumstances, should be given priority by the nation’s regulatory authority. In an attempt to mitigate this nuisance, the government of the Philippines has lately embarked on diverting the waterways as well as the presumably attempting to evacuate the slum settlements and industrial projections in these waterways, that for a long time have inhibited the smooth sailing of the rainwater down the streams.
Problems and Destructions
Over the years, several households residing near the riverbeds have been subdued by these massive floods. In most cases, whenever it rains, the river burst its banks and spill over to the neighborhoods with overarching consequences (Doracie, 2000). During the escalating heavy torrential waterfalls or typhoons, the flooding in the streets of the Manila City swells to a high of two to three meters making most of the informal settlers to vacate their houses and seek shelter in evacuation points until the water pool recedes to bearable levels. Generally, these concerns disrupt the normal life of the Philippines residents, with all these in force, the business normally comes to a standstill in the worst-hit areas as transport and other factors that supplement commerce are subdued (Doracie, 2000).
Learning in most parts of the country, instantaneously becomes disrupted as most schools and colleges are prematurely closed down, disrupting the general learning calendar in several regions. In addition, normally, these flooding sequences are normally accompanied by instances of malaria and cholera outbreaks as mosquitos find it the most opportune moment for breeding. This, as Doracie (2000) notes, often comes at the backdrop of the closure of most social amenities as hospitals in most places become defunct. As a way of survival, the locals usually have to rely on aid from the state or non-governmental organizations that often steps in for various support factors (Flood disaster mitigation and river rehabilitation by Marikina City, Philippines, 2013). In these difficult times, houses are usually brought down by the submerging water levels, and roads are indefinitely washed away.
Risk Management in the Country
Because of the influx of urbanization, slum villages usually develop; these often occur along the downtown hindering the free flow of the waterways in the adjacent rivers. Of much worry to the Philippines has been the projection of several cottage industries along the waterways in the City of Manila downtown. Much of the urban riverbanks are dotted up with informal settlements. Currently, the Philippines authorities have embarked on a housing and resettlement program that seeks to address the housing and resettlement situation in most of the cities in the region (Catalina, 2012). This is done at the backdrop proper drainage system so that the systematic and proper relocation to some identified places could be achieved for the benefit of all while keeping the ecosystem safe and relevant to the people.
As part of the government efforts, the affected house3holds are usually moved to amicable settlements within the national housing projects. Benchmarking its effort on the foundation that the Philippines topography is another factor to contend with, the government has also embarked on a work-plan aimed at digging trenches to aid the water flow down the streams. Alongside these programs will be the installation of dams along the waterways, as well as expanding the width of the existing ways and rivers to contain more water and eventually curb the frequent spillover onto the Manila streets (Flood disaster mitigation and river rehabilitation by Marikina City, Philippines, 2013).
Solutions and Measurements to Solve Issues
The Philippines’ government has been on record lately as being at the forefront in tackling the excessive torrents of massive water occasioned by heavy rains or by the city’s adjacent Pasig River. Bausa and Reyes (2007) speculate that some wayward industries are still reluctant to bring down their installation as part of the risk management process. Research holds a greater volume of the county’s rainwater is directed into the city, which apparently lies in the lower regions geographically. For the suppression of doubt, these exemplifications only offer a remote preview to the most complex situation of the land-lies the experience, which has been great. The Manila City residents must learn to live by the definition of their unfortunate topography by reducing on the practices that naturally tend to demean their surroundings (Bausa & Reyes, 2007).
Further, Warren (2000) recommends that they must always be willing to reach out to outside assistance to mitigate the pollution in the Pasig River as well as the perennial floods imposed upon their city’s water supply. The Manila City that has been unparalleled and adversely affected by the unending instances of floodgates of water pollution must step up rapid response teams to tackle water pollution issues. In the event that these measures are not responded to in time, Bausa and Reyes (2007) note that there might be a concern for worry given that the scale of environmental degradation is great and swift, and eventually, things might never be the same again in Manila – its suburbs and the mainland. Borrowing heavily from history, during the mid-1800, the Philippines profoundly dealt with the Pasig River water pollution in ways that were best fitting for the time. Today, many technological changes have taken shape, eventually altering the way humans solve contemporary problems (Warren, 2000).
While the society is better prepared, more informed, and well equipped as never before, it would serve as a duty of negligence by the authorities to offer solutions that seek to mitigate the many instances of perennial floods. The 19th-century engineers, however, were not concerned with the scourge of a diminishing reality of large water bodies, rather, they were concerned with the protection of urban populations from the scourge of lack of water hence the need by building the city-states near large water bodies (Bausa & Reyes, 2007).
Research Paper about Flood Control in the Philippines: Essay Conclusion
Proper drainage and disaster preparedness will always remain key in the concept of flood management in the Philippines. The concerns of flood management, as well as its mitigation program, are usually the duties of the communities living in flood prone regions. Governments should always enforce realizable measures that are aimed at curbing the impacts of the heavy downpour that results in massive flooding, as has been the case with most of the Philippines’ cities. While perfecting on these strategies is not always an easy achievement; monitoring by the regulatory authority is always necessary.
References
Afuang, B. (2001). Floods and the City. Web.
Badilla, R. (2008). Flood modeling in Pasig-Marikina basin. Web.
Bankoff, G. (2003a). Cultures of disaster; society and natural hazard in the Philippines. Routledge Curzon, London: Sage Publishers. Web.
Bankoff, G. (2003b). Constructing vulnerability: The historical, natural, and social generation of flooding in metropolitan Manila. Disasters, 27(3), 95–109. Web.
Bausa, J. W., and Reyes, G. V. (2007). Proposal report flood hazard mapping project in Philippines. Web.
Catalina, M. (2012). Structural Measures for Flood Management in the Philippines. Web.
Doracie, B. (2000). Flood Hazards in Metro Manila: Recognizing commonalities, differences, and courses of action. Social Science Diliman, 1(1), 60-105. Web.
Fano, N. (2000). Flood control and drainage network/operations/plans in Metro Manila. Web.
Flood disaster mitigation and river rehabilitation by Marikina City, Philippines (2013). Web.
Warren, J. F. (2013). A Tale of Two Decades: Typhoons and Floods, Manila and the Provinces, and the Marcos Years. The Asia-Pacific Journal, 11(3), 1-11. Web.