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[av_heading heading=’Flood waters and sea levels’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY IKE SEÑERES
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February 4, 2018
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THE FACT IS, many parts of Metro Manila are below sea level, even without the rains coming. That is just one side of the problem.
The other side of the problem, which is also a scientific fact, is that sea levels everywhere are rising, and that includes the seas and oceans around the Philippines. It is also a fact that in recent years, the numbers of climate refugees have exceeded the numbers of war refugees.
Perhaps it could be said that the solution to the problem of flooding in Metro Manila is just simple mathematics. Addition and subtraction, that is. Many years ago, the metropolis had many estuaries and open fields, perhaps even lakes here and there. Today, most of the estuaries are either covered up or are clogged with garbage, an understatement really. All traces of ancient lakes are gone forever, not even in the memory of our senior citizens.
Water is a substance that seeks its own level, so to speak. It will look for places and nooks to settle down, and if there are no more spaces to go to, its own levels will just rise. The solution is simple mathematics, because we reduced or subtracted the spaces where the water could go to, that is why there are no more places or spaces for it to go to. The solution therefore is to increase or add to the places or spaces for the water to go to. It is as simple as that.
Although the problem of rising sea levels has an international nature, its cause is local and so is its solution. It is common sense to blame the floods on the rains because we see the water as it comes down from the sky. Yes, that is obvious, but what is not obvious is the floods that are caused by rising sea levels, as these are triggered by the melting of ice caps many miles away from us.
It is very easy for us to blame the floods on the clogged estuary and drainage systems because that is one obvious cause. Garbage in the form of plastics and other non-degradable materials are of course visually apparent that is why we blame them first, but we should not forget the greenhouse gasses that are the ones causing the melting of the ice caps, even if these are not visually apparent.
Not unless we become very careful about what we do or say, there is a danger that garbage will just become our scapegoat and we might just focus on it exclusively, forgetting that there are other direct and indirect causes of flooding.
To put it in another way, the problems are caused by sins of commission and sins of omission, a mix of bad actions that we commit against the environment, and good actions that we should have done for the environment, but we did not do.
As we focus on the garbage that is the probable cause of the flooding, let us not forget that the lack of tree planting and the excesses of illegal logging are also partly to blame. Trees have a quadruple role in this equation, because they not only absorb the carbon and produce oxygen, they also hold the water in the soil aside from providing the shade that cools us under the sun.
Let us not also forget the fossil fuels that we burn for industrial, commercial and residential purposes. If it is obvious that we should prevent the garbage from getting into our waterways, it is also obvious that prevent the burning of more carbon by producing more sustainable energy sources that are derived from renewable materials.
Going back to the mathematics of flood control, it is about time that we create water pools or collection bins above the ground, so that there will be more places for the water to go. As it is now, there is no alternative but to clean the estuaries that are still open. Other than that, we should really find the political will to dig up all the estuaries that have been covered up, so that water could flow in these places again.
On the brighter side, these water pools or collection bins could even be used for food production, for instance for fish fattening and hydroponics. Since there is already a supply, the water from these sources could also be filtered for human consumption, so that we will not only have food, we will also have water. Of course, there are also other commercial uses for this water.
Obviously, it is very easy to blame the clogged estuaries for the floods, but what about our rivers and lakes that are also heavily silted?
Again, this is also about simple mathematics, because if we remove the silt and muck from the rivers and lakes, there will be more spaces for the water to go to. Since we are blaming the politicians for our flood problems, who among them will do the mathematics?
By comparison, many parts of the Netherlands are also below sea level, but the Dutch have managed to keep the floods away through good engineering. Their technology is already centuries old, but it is still working for them. Just like the Roman viaducts that are still working up to now, in sharp contrast to the lack of good drainage systems in Metro Manila./PN
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