TYPHOON “Jolina” weakened into a severe tropical storm yesterday but it still drenched with heavy rains the areas within its path, some suffering from flashfloods.
With climate change in our midst, more frequent typhoons are the new norm. But why do our flooding woes seem to worsen every time?
A main reason is the non-compliance with our environmental laws. It is estimated that only about one-third of all local government units (LGUs) nationwide are complying with the solid waste management law, while the others have yet to strictly and fully implement segregation of garbage at source, recycling and composting.
LGUs should complement the national government’s campaign to address flooding problems through the clearing of waterways. What our LGUs and concerned government agencies must do is to strictly implement the solid waste management law; demolish illegal fish pens; undertake massive cleanup of esteros and canals; relocate settlers by the rivers; dredge rivers and other waterways and heavily penalize those who throw waste in rivers and lakes; and enforce an absolute “no tree cutting” policy in protected areas.
Disaster risk reduction is everybody’s business, and LGUs should lead this effort by ensuring that homes, schools, hospitals, and buildings are constructed in safe areas and are secure amidst natural hazards, and that roads, bridges and other infrastructure are designed and constructed with economic growth and disaster risk reduction in mind,” she added.
We thus renewed the call for the implementation of laws and programs that will help ease flooding. First and foremost, LGUs should comply with the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (Republic Act 9003) and also start clearing waterways in their areas.
The government should also assess the structural integrity of all dams in the country and retrofit those which need to be fixed.
With or without these heavy rains and disasters, we have incessantly urged and reminded our LGUs and our citizens to work on preventing and mitigating disasters, such as floods, and not merely respond to their onslaught. We must learn from our experiences, practice enhanced disaster preparedness and response, and be proactive in reducing the risk of disasters.
