18 disaster-proneareas identified

Antipolo City, Agusan, Quezon, Albay may also be hit by massive floods

THE tragedy that hit the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan in Northern Mindanao may also happen in 18 other areas tagged by the Climate Change Congress of the PhilIPPINES (CCCP) AS PRONE TO floods and landslides, it was learned on Thursday.

Dr. Esteban Godilano, CCCP resident scientist, said that his group predicted the Cagayan de Oro disaster long ago, adding that they had presented a climate change map to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of National Defense, Department of Agriculture, Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Interior and Local Government and other concerned government agencies.

He lamented, however, that nobody expressed interest in the information he presented. Even the concerned local government officials who were told that their areas might be at risk of severe flooding or landslides were not alarmed.

Godilano said during an interview aired over radio station DZBB that Antipolo City in Rizal province and its nearby towns could also experience devastating floods in the first quarter of 2012—a period seen as the height of the La Niña phenomenon, which cools the Pacific Ocean and brings heavy rainfall.

The United States Climate Prediction Center has said that this climate phenomenon may strengthen early next year. La Niña occurs every three to five years and lasts from nine to 12 months.

“I’m not here to scare everyone. Instead, I’m providing this information in order to give the officials and the public time to prepare in order to prevent casualties during severe weather disturbances,” Godilano said, adding that the most vulnerable watershed areas in the country were Marikina City (Metro Manila) and Cagayan de Oro.

Besides Antipolo City, other areas that could be hit by Sendong-like floods in the first quarter of 2012 include the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Albay, Biliran, Catanduanes, Compostella Valley, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Dinagat Island, Leyte, Northern Samar, Quezon, Sorsogon, Southern Leyte, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Western Samar.

Godilano, a geospatial expert and watershed management specialist, foresaw the disaster that hit Marikina City on Septemper 26, 2009, when Typhoon Ondoy (international codename: Ketsana) dumped record rainfall on Metro Manila, unleashing killer floods in the city and other areas. More than 700 people died in the tragedy.

He lamented that government agencies in charge of disaster mitigation like the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) seemed to express little interest in the matter.

Australia helps

The Australian government, meanwhile, would be spending about P260 million over the next two years to help the Philippines in its risk disaster management program, it was learned also on Thursday.

Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Rod Smith turned over to NDRRMC chief Benito Ramos and the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) data that would provide them a better outlook on the country’s approach to assessing disaster risk and reduce the vulnerability of residents in Metro Manila.

The data was taken from an aerial survey of the greater Metro Manila area using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology to generate a high-resolution, three-dimensional model and detailed imagery.

This is the first time that LiDAR data has been used in the Philippines. The Australian government funded the aerial survey.

“The frequency of disasters and their consequent impact is on the rise. Their severity and impacts are predicted to intensify with climate change. We are well aware that natural disasters constrain efforts for people to escape poverty,” Smith said.

Under the disaster preparedness package, Australia will build more accurate risk profiles of Metro Manila over the next two years using the LiDAR technology to model the impacts of disasters in terms of human casualties, damage to houses and critical infrastructure, and agricultural losses.

“We cannot stop the earthquakes, typhoons or flooding rains that will strike Metro Manila in the future. But we can act to prevent the death, hardship and economic damage that these disasters regularly cause,” the Australian envoy said.

“A better understanding of the major disaster risks is essential to guide the right kind of preventive actions that will reduce the destructive impact of future disasters,” he added.

According to the United Nations 2009 Global Report on Disaster Risk Reduction, the Philippines ranked as the third most disaster-prone country in the world.

On the other hand, the 2010 Climate Change Vulnerability Index of global risks advisory firm Maplecroft ranked the country as the sixth out of 170 countries to be most at risk of impacts of climate change in the next 30 years.

Housing ban

At the Senate, Sen. Manuel Villar also on Thursday filed a measure banning the construction of houses along riverbanks and waterways.

Villar, a real-estate developer, pushed for the enactment of Senate Bill 2956—“The Housing Ban Along Riverbanks Act of 2011”—that prohibits the construction of houses within 10 meters from the edge of rivers and bodies of inland waters.

“It is the policy of the State to protect the people from natural and man-made disasters and one way to do this is to take the potential victims away from harm by preventing them from subjecting themselves to probable risks such as building their houses along the path of floodwaters,” Villar said.

Most of the victims of the massive floods in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan lived in communities near riverbanks.

Under the measure, local officials—from barangay (village) chairmen to governors—will be penalized if houses are built within 10 meters along riverbanks and waterways. They shall be jointly liable to a fine of P50,000 each or imprisonment of six months for both. Repeated violations of this measure shall be made grounds for their removal from office. –JEFFERSON ANTIPORDA AND WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL REPORTERS WITH REPORT FROM RITCHIE A. HORARIO, Manila Times