GMA News tv launches hamon ng kalikasan

CEBU, Philippines - The Philippines lies in the Pacific Ring of Fire where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. It is also located in a region hit by numerous typhoons every year. These typhoons sometimes also cause flooding and landslides.

Other natural occurrences like lightning, monsoon rains, tidal waves, and the effects of climate change also impact the lives of many Filipinos in ways ranging from damage to property and livelihood to human casualties.  

Although we may be powerless to prevent these and other natural phenomena, it is possible to manage their damaging effects by understanding the power behind them. Finding the most effective way of responding to Mother Nature’s wrath is the challenge that humans must face now and in the future.

This September, GMA News TV launches Hamon ng Kalikasan, a brand new science magazine program that will explain the inner workings of some of the natural phenomena experienced in the Philippines and around the world. 

Hosted by GMA’s resident meteorologist, Nathaniel “Mang Tani” Cruz, Hamon ng Kalikasan aims to educate viewers on how these phenomena form, the effects they have on our environment now and in the future, and how we can avoid or curb Nature’s fury.

Using high resolution graphics, including GMA’s Weather Central, Hamon ng Kalikasan will awaken viewers’ awe and wonder about Nature’s power. Through interviews with the country’s top science experts and with the collaboration of GMA Science and Weather Consultant Karen Cardenas, the program also aims to help Filipinos plan for and adapt to our ever-changing world.

For its pilot episode, Hamon ng Kalikasan tackles one of the most destructive forces known to man – floods. Whether caused by monsoons or typhoons, flooding has become a bane for many Filipinos. Work and classes are suspended, properties are damaged and the agriculture sector suffers billions in losses.

Experts agree however that it is not only the rains that are to blame for the floods, especially in urban areas like Metro Manila. Mang Tani investigates these various causes and the contributing factors that gave rise to some of the worst flooding in our country’s history. Using archive photographs, the program will also trace how rapid and uncontrolled urban development may be to blame for many of our flooding woes.

Finally, the program also looks into some of the clever ideas proposed by urban planners and ordinary citizens to manage future floods – from houses on stilts, elevated walkways all over the city, high-tech multi-functional barangay halls, solid waste management programs and large-scale relocation projects. Experts weigh in on which of these ideas, if any, are feasible and can serve as short-, medium- and long-term solutions for the country’s flood problems.

Hamon ng Kalikasan premieres tonight, 10pm on the leading news channel, GMA News TV Channel 11. (FREEMAN)