SOMEONE ELSE’S WINDOWS: Flooding: A problem beyond greed

MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews / 5 November) — Corruption in flood control projects has been primarily blamed for the massive floods in Cebu and elsewhere. What’s forgotten is that this isn’t the only factor.

We can build flood control infra that may be sound in as far as engineering standards are concerned. But it can’t solve things like sediment buildup in rivers, creeks and lakes caused by logging and mining.

The tons of sediment flowing down from deforested uplands have made riverbeds and other wetlands shallow, reducing their efficacy as water catchment areas. Those who often travel to eastern Misamis Oriental may have noticed the islands that have formed near the mouth of Tagoloan River; these are formed by sediment, soil washed down from as far as Bukidnon where the river originates.

Another factor is the impact of unbridled urbanization. In Cebu, for example, how saturated is the shoreline with malls and other structures that have blocked the flow of excess water into the sea? How many subdivisions and buildings have been built close to riverbanks, areas that are supposed to be off-limits to structures?

In Manila, experts have pointed to reclamation as having worsened flooding during typhoons and the rainy season.

The point is, long-term measures to control flooding (yes, control, not solve, since this is beyond solution at this stage) require an assessment of the entire policy environment. We can’t just increase the height of flood control walls with every increase in the amount of sedimentation in our waterways.

Severe flooding is a child of uninformed policy — or perhaps the absence of policy. Corruption just worsened it.

(MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. H. Marcos C. Mordeno can be reached at boymords@mindanews.com.)