Recurring floods call for preventive, nature-based solutions – Legarda

MANILA, Philippines — Repeated flooding cannot be treated as just a flood-control issue that calls for building drainage infrastructure but demands broader preventive, nature-based solutions, Sen. Loren Legarda stressed in a statement issued on Wednesday.

She made the following nature-based solutions:

• restoration and protection of watersheds and forests
• rehabilitation of wetlands and riverbanks
• reconnection of rivers to floodplains where feasible
• expansion of urban green spaces, rain gardens, and permeable surfaces
• restoration of mangrove forests and seagrass beds in vulnerable coastal communities

These measures, she pointed out, should complement well-designed drainage, pumping stations, floodways, and other necessary engineered infrastructure.

“When forests have vanished, canals and estuaries have been covered, and lake outlets have grown narrow, where would the water go? We can’t fight flooding by building more concrete structures. The real solutions are on the ground, on the trees, and on other natural wealth that gives life,” Legarda said in Filipino.

“We can’t stop the rain, but we can stop it from being a repeated tragedy. What’s needed is good governance, quick preparation, strict enforcement of law, and respect for nature,” she added.

READ: Habagat brings heavy rains, flooding in parts of PH

Legarda made the call as the country has been battered for more than a week by relentless rainfall brought by tropical cyclones Luis and Maymay, once again submerging communities, displacing families, and disrupting livelihoods — with over 1.3 million individuals affected nationwide.

“We can’t allow the same scenario every year — flooding, evacuation, relief operations, cleanup. And then we just wait for the next storm. We have to be serious about preventing the danger before it becomes a disaster. Prevention is cheaper, more humane, and more effective than repeated recovery from damage,” Legarda said.

Poor waste management

Legarda has long urged local governments and national agencies to address the causes of flooding instead of relying mainly on evacuation, relief, and rehabilitation after every disaster.

Citing an assessment made by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Legarda said accumulated garbage due to poor waste management has obstructed waterways, the primary cause of severe street flooding in Metro Manila.

The vulnerability of communities in Metro Manila, she added, has increased because of development in hazard-prone areas and natural drainage paths, degradation of watersheds and wetlands, and weak enforcement of environmental and land-use regulations.

So she reiterated the need for strict implementation of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, which she principally authored and sponsored, particularly the requirements on waste segregation, collection, recycling, and proper disposal.

READ: Breaking waste disposal law causes dumpsite disasters

Better evacuation centers

Legarda also expressed concern over the adequacy and location of evacuation facilities. Families fleeing floodwaters, she stressed, must not be evacuated to places exposed to the same hazards.

“It’s unacceptable that evacuation centers where families affected by floods are taken are also prone to flooding. Evacuation centers should be the safest places in times of disaster, not places where our countrymen will face more danger,” she said.

Evacuation centers, she said, should be built in safe locations based on hazard and flood maps, and these centers should be structurally resilient and adequately equipped.

As co-author of the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act, Legarda called for the full implementation of the law.

“It’s not enough to just have evacuation centers. These should be safe, not prone to flooding, have clean water and decent toilets, and enough space, and they should be able to cater to the needs of children, seniors, women, persons with disabilities, and others who need protection the most,” Legarda said.

Flood resilience, she added, should be part of an anticipatory disaster framework based on the following measures she has long championed:

• Climate Change Act
• Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction Management Act
• People’s Survival Fund Act
• Clean Water Act
• Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System Act

She said these laws should guide national and local governments toward a risk-informed, climate-resilient development. /atm