THE WICKED weather these past few days should make us realize that while heavy and excessive rainfall is part of the new normal, we need not live with the risks that disrupt our social and economic activities. We need not have flooded streets, heavy traffic, and stranded commuters in the metropolis or washed away houses, collapsed bridges, displaced families and devastated farmlands for every intense rain or typhoon.
So that disasters such as floods are averted and not merely reacted upon, the government should seriously consider investing more in infrastructure that are climate-resilient.
A World Bank study seven years ago revealed that the Philippines increased its budget by 26 percent in climate change adaptation programs, but the bulk has been used in flood control. About 90 percent of the climate fund was allocated to address flooding and rehabilitation of infrastructure and sector support.
While it is very important that we immediately address flooding woes in the country, we must ensure that we are building long-term programs. If we are to rebuild the same infrastructure that have been devastated by extreme weather events, then we are only causing more expenses. What we must do is to invest in strengthening the resilience of infrastructure from disasters, upgrading flood control and road drainage standards, setting up rainwater catchment facilities, desilting rivers, and installing flood monitoring and warning systems, among others.
We must take note that extreme weather events, such as heavy and excessive rainfall, are the new norm, which makes flood prevention even more challenging. For many of our people, every single day of work is synonymous to survival. When heavy rains resulting to flooded and impassable roads prevent a daily wage earner from going to work, it would mean no earnings for the day, no food on the table.
In 2011, statistics from the Emergency Events Database of the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters showed that floods and storms cost the Philippines US$730 million, affected 11.6 million people and claimed 1,904 lives.
We must practice enhanced disaster prevention, mitigation, and preparedness more than mere response. We must prove ourselves more proactive and more effective in reducing risks.
