City should recover creeks and rivers says lawyer

As DENR cleans up Liloan coast

CEBU, Philippines - With the floods being experienced in Cebu City, it is best for the Cebu City Government to recover fast the original size of creeks and rivers, according to environmentalist and lawyer Ben Cabrido.

Meanwhile, more than 400 participants attended the coastal cleanup along a 6.5-kilometer stretch in Liloan, Cebu as part of the activities of the national coastal cleanup by the environment department.

 “It’s high time we recover and set back our rivers and creeks’ original size for the water to naturally flow,” said Cabrido in a forum yesterday on the effects of climate change.

Cabrido, who was one of the speakers of the forum, said they would request the city’s Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (LDRRMC) to provide them with data on the city’s waterways.

  He said that during heavy rains, rainwater from the upland areas will naturally flow towards the creeks or to the rivers before reaching the seas. But since the size of these creeks have been reduced because of the emergence of residential and commercial structures, water running from the mountains would normally overflow upon reaching the low-lying area, resulting in floods.

 According to Engr. Oscar Tabada of Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Atmospherical Services (PAGASA), also a forum speaker, said the rainfall these days is no longer “normal” and this can be atrributed to climate change, among other factors. He said because of this, a few minutes of rain can already result in flooding, he said. Both Cabrido and Tabada believe that the clogged creeks can also be blamed.

 Another effects of climate change are the big waves and the rise in seawater level, which is due to the melting of the ice caps. Tabada yesterday presented a scenario in Mactan area when the seawater level rises to three meters. It showed a portion of the city underwater. He said other cities in the country will also be in the same situation under similar weather phenomenon.

It will not be easily prevented but Tabada said the Filipinos can help ease the problem by proper disposal of garbage and banning the use of plastic. There are already some areas in the country with laws against the use of plastic but the problem now is the implementation, Tabada said.

 Meanwhile, more than 400 attended the coastal cleanup along a 6.5-kilometer stretch in Liloan, Cebu in line with the national coastal cleanup month with a theme “Our place, Our planet, Our responsibility.”

 DENR-7 Director Isabelo R. Montejo said that the country is highly regarded in the world for the richness of its coastal and marine resources and it calls for sustainable protection and management for future generations.

 According to DENR, based on a 10-year multi-disciplinary study for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) entitled: “The Center of the Center of Marine Shorefish Biodiversity: The Philippine Islands” by Dr. Kent Carpenter and Dr. Victor Springer in 2006, the Philippines was declared as the epicenter of marine biodiversity with the richest concentration of marine life on the entire planet.

 The study identified the country as home to an astonishingly vast marine life, refuting previous studies indicating that Indonesia holds the highest fish diversity.

 During the clean-up which was led by DENR-7 with employees and officials of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, Bureau of Customs and Food and Drug Administration, around 30 kilos of garbage mostly plastics and other litters were collected.

 Montejo stressed to maintain cleanliness in the shores, underwater and waterways of Cebu while promoting the importance of a clean, healthy and environment in the region.

 He added that DENR wants to increase public awareness on the impacts or hazards brought about by throwing garbage especially plastics and other non-biodegradable materials on shores, rivers and canals.

 Students from the University of San Carlos-North Campus, and Cebu Technological University-Main Campus (CTU-MC) participated in the activity. Members of Coastal Enforcement Alliance of Region 7 including Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard and Maritime Police, local police officers of Liloan, Compostela and Danao also attended.JPM (FREEMAN)