Turning into Amphibian (A quick survey of lessons from the recent flood)

Turning into Amphibian

(A quick survey of lessons from the recent flood)

Widespread flooding, such as the one we have seen lately, though rare, will recur as they historically have, after a stretch of years.

It will probably be helpful to learn from other people who have survived the riverbank, seashore, and open sea environments through the centuries through various methods and strategies.

1. Someone posted an idea that went viral: that we should start to relearn our old way of life as people of the river, noting that Tagalog originally means taga-ilog (of the river), Pampanga taga-pampang (of the shore), etc. In our case, barrios named like Nibaliw has the river as etymology, with old words such as panagbaliw (crossing the river) a part of everyday life. I remember historian Ambeth Ocampo harping on in his column how water used to connect us instead of separate us, how rivers used to be highways instead of territorial boundaries.

2. In this regard, it is probably helpful to revisit cultures that do survive today with this in mind. The Badjaos, for instance, still build stilt houses to this day to deal with their semi-aquatic existence; the Samals still live in longhouses, Tawi-Tawi and Sulu have entire 'floating' villages, the Thais are fond of floating markets and floating restos to get by with their waterborne and waterlogged ways of life, etc.

In a way, the residents of the low-lying barangays in our town have learned to adjust through the years by building houses with second and third floors, owning a boat, etc. They could further stretch their state of resiliency by learning how to create a 'floating' community in the event of a great flood. They must learn how to survive without wading in flood and contracting leptospirosis for failure of taking doxycycline as prophylaxis. I know turning amphibian by buying an amphibious vehicle is a long shot, feasibility wise, but they could perhaps further invest in motorboats, jet skis, surfboards, rafts, lifesavers, etc. Remember how actors' surfboards helped saved lives during 'Ondoy.'

It would probably pay to have a ready boat-based transport system in place of trikes and motorbikes, to sustain village life back to nearly normal levels in the event of serious inundation.

Since my mind right now is working double-time, I am also wondering whether building convertible and adjustable homes is possible using age-old origami techniques or pulley-and-winch methods to raise floors and roofs in the event of fast-rising floodwaters, or globular homes that roll with the punches like water lilies and water hyacinths?

3. Okay, back to reality and what's actually doable. If funding and cost-effectiveness are not a problem, maybe we could explore the construction of catchment or impounding areas or underground "water detention tanks" for floodwaters at the lowest points of town, such as Sitio Lagare, Brgy. Paragos.

4. Maybe we should start investing in pumps and pumping stations? In Pasig City, it is reported, the usual widespread flooding was averted due to a water-pumping station or stations that suction floodwaters inland and down to Pasig River. If true and appropriate for our context, then this is one of the infrastructure solutions we need ASAP. But, first, like our town is pursuing lately, a thorough hydrological study must be conducted to determine how best to position this flood control system.

5. A local media man pointed out that we should learn from the Dutch instead. It's indeed a marvel how the Dutch people have survived all these years living below sea level through their masterful system of dikes and windmill-driven pumping system! Let's be like the Dutch. Cc: Dagupan City.

5. I have read recently that among those being studied by the provincial government is the massive dredging of our heavily silted rivers, after identifying heavy siltation as the root cause of the problem.

6. It looks like it is, indeed, and I hope they really pursue it, but isn't precipitation per se a big factor? Reports of months' worth of rainwater falling down in one go within one day is very unsettling. Is this an incontrovertible proof of climate change? But if you study history, great destructive flooding is nothing new. So when exactly did the climate change?

7. Speaking of, haven't we heard of Noah's ark during the biblical 'great deluge'? Shouldn't we have something like it in the event of a great flood?

8. Clogged drains are also an obvious cause of flash floods in urban areas. Maybe we could add our antiquated drainage systems (built in, what, the early 1900s) as among the root causes, apart from the fact that some traditional waterways and catch basins have been erroneously built upon with concrete streets and residences and the rest of us are paying the consequences. Aside from the sheer amount of water, garbage is another culprit, of course, especially rot-proof plastic trash. Among my pet peeves is seeing folks throwing plastic trash anywhere they want; I believe we should send Filipinos to benchmark on personal discipline in Japan or something.

9. At this point, I wonder if we could procure that plastic-eating bacteria in the news as novel solution? Called Ideonella sakaiensis, "this microbe produces special enzymes that latch onto the plastic’s surface and chemically dismantle its structure, turning" [what used to be called nonbiodegradable plastic] "into simpler, eco-safe components." I want that bacterium species mass-produced, please, provided it doesn't turn into a big headache someday.

10. Now let's adjust our sails a bit. Noah's ark-strength flooding almost always means a wholesale declaration of suspension of school days and work. This reflex reaction, however, has tremendous effect on the local economy. The ones hardest hit are those who have 'arawan' (by the day) jobs: trike drivers, ambulant vendors, small-scale canteens, public market vendors, job order government employees, temp job and other contractual workers, etc. To avoid the problem of having these workers and small entrepreneurs among the economic casualties on top of the humongous agro-enterprise casualties, I humbly submit that those who are physically able to report for work better show up, if strong winds, transport, flooding in the area of residence up to the place of work, and outages (power, water, and internet connection) are not a problem. Instead of getting stuck at home being nonproductive, some able workers must continue working. Of course, those who can work from home better stay put, so as not to add to the potential casualty count.

Getting stuck at home and being economically unproductive for one week is not fun at all; for people who have a family to feed, it is so frustrating. Now for overworked workers and employees who are assured of pay through paid leaves, however, it's a different story; the hiatus is also a golden opportunity to take some much-needed rest.

***

We should learn from amphibians---like frogs, toads, caecilians, salamanders, newts, and axolotls---which sing along with the rain and laugh their way out of both land and water if they please, come hell or high water. During floods, short of growing gills and fins and webbed feet, we should master the art of resilient, because ambidextrous, existence by turning into amphibians. I am not sure if we could ever turn rampaging floodwaters into friend, but at least we won't always end up with a death sentence.

(photo borrowed from: Bayambang MDRRMO)