EDITORIAL - New way of life

Even before flooding has subsided in Bulacan and Pampanga, weather forecasters are warning of floods and landslides in Luzon as more storms approach. While the next weather disturbance appears to be headed for Northern Luzon, the rainfall that it brings can again swell the floods in Central Luzon.

As in the massive flooding spawned by typhoons “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” in the natural floodplain around Laguna de Bay, it is taking too long for the floods to subside in parts of Central Luzon. The death toll from typhoons “Pedring” and “Quiel” has risen to 90, and the government said damage to agriculture has surpassed that from Ondoy and Pepeng. As in previous major floods, diseases are also spreading in the disaster area, including the potentially lethal leptospirosis.

Ondoy and Pepeng spawned similar flooding in Pangasinan and other areas. With the country feeling the effects of climate change, that kind of torrential rainfall is likely to become a frequent occurrence in this tropical archipelago. The government, and the communities most vulnerable to floods, must be prepared to confront this reality in the age of global warming. Some areas, particularly those near dams, may have to be permanently evacuated. Otherwise, residents must prepare to live in two to four feet of flood for several weeks or months each year.

The Venetians turned a place whose foundations are below water level into a bustling city and one of the world’s top tourist destinations, but that’s in one of the advanced economies. In developing countries such as the Philippines, those who want to remain in flood-prone communities may have to start building houses on sturdy stilts and investing in boats for their transportation during the rainy season. New indoor plumbing, sanitation and power facilities will have to be installed in these communities. Elevated areas may have to be developed where markets and structures can be built for storing basic commodities including bottled water during floods. New agricultural areas will have to be developed. It will be a new way of life.

Something like this was done when the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo wiped entire villages off the map. Climate change has made the specter of regular cataclysmic flooding a real threat. It will take more than forced evacuation and relief assistance to deal with the problem.