By RALPH JOHN MIJARES
ROXAS City — Several parts of Capiz province, including this capital city, might be submerged in water by 2020, an environment specialist said.
Rising sea levels caused by global warming could lead to this phenomenon, said Edwin Borja, forest management services specialist of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Capiz.
A study conducted in Bulacan province by Dr. Rosa Perez, a former scientist of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, showed that if sea levels continue to rise, they could increase by 37 meters by 2020, Borja said.
Borja said Roxas City is only 25 meters above sea level and thus vulnerable to getting submerged.
The municipalities of Pilar, Pontevedra, Panay, Panitan and Sigma might experience the same, the environment officer said.
Borja, however, did not say if the projected sea level rise would be of global or national scale.
Whether only parts or the entire at-risk city and municipalities will be submerged in water remains unclear as well.
Borja spoke in a press conference after the launching of the Philippine Information Agency and DENR’s climate change mitigation and adaptation advocacy campaign at the Urban Manor Hotel in Brgy. Lawa-an here yesterday.
Borja advised the people to avoid putting up permanent structures and/or residences along the seashores.
For his part, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Valentin Talabero said it is everyone’s duty to protect the environment.
After the campaign’s launching, members of the private, public and religious sectors, as well as the media, signed a Pledge of Commitment to take care of the Earth.
During the launching, Gov. Victor Tanco Sr. said the provincial government has shifted its priorities to disaster risk reduction following the onslaught of super typhoon “Yolanda” in November last year.
“Kung nature imo gina-engkwentro, helpless ka gid. Mangadi ka na gid lang (Facing nature’s wrath renders you helpless. You can only pray),” Tanco said.
He also said the public must prepare for and mitigate the impact of climate change. “Disasters are expected to become stronger because of climate change,” he warned./PN
