Malabon City Is in Metro Manila, the National Capital Region of the Change Adaptation Holistically, Philippines
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INSIDE STORIES on climate compatible development January 2015 Key messages Understanding and addressing risks ● Dialogues among neighbouring local government units as of flooding in the city: The case of facilitated by the Partners for Resilience (PfR) programme can Barangay Potrero, Metro Manila be used to address disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate Malabon City is in Metro Manila, the National Capital Region of the change adaptation holistically, Philippines. It is part of a sub-region called CAMANAVA (composed of especially for transboundary the cities of CAloocan, MAlabon, NAvotas and VAlenzuela) located in the concerns such as river basin northern part of Metro Manila Bay and situated in the estuary of several river management. deltas. Malabon is one of the most densely populated cities in the country ● The involvement of various and its low-lying, flat terrain makes it prone to frequent flooding, especially levels of government – from during high tides, heavy rains and when river and dams overflow. The four national to subnational and cities in CAMANAVA are commonly affected by interconnected rivers, one even including village leaders of which is the Tullahan River. – will yield more positive results. Participation of multiple The river system used to be navigable and fishing was the major livelihood stakeholders with varying activity in the area. The river used to be wider, deeper, had better quality exposure to and understanding water and was a regular source of different species of fish, which were an of particular issues, such as important food source for local residents. Also, trees and crops like palay flooding, can generate action. (rice) and vegetables used to be grown along the riverbanks. However, ● Climate and weather forecasts these agricultural plots have been replaced by industrial yards, which and other related information also became home to thousands of informal settlers who built makeshift issued by the national dwellings without legal claim to the land. meteorological agency should be customised and localised for In recent years, floods have worsened, occurring more frequently and better understanding, access reaching levels of several feet deep. Most affected are families in the Front cover photo: ACCORD | Editing, design and layout: Green Ink (www.greenink.co.uk) Front cover photo: and use by communities. communities that are along or near the riverbanks. The river has become narrower and shallower over the years, and its capacity to hold water has decreased. With more frequent, intense rains, the riverbanks flood regularly and flooding reaches farther into low-lying and densely populated areas of the city. Authors: Malabon City is known for its frequent Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) struck in Merdi Jean D. Arcilla, Partners for flooding. Television footage has often 2009, residents of the Potrero barangay1 Resilience Project, Assistance and shown the city with above-ankle flood in Malabon were startled when the Cooperation for Community Resilience water due to high tides – even when skies water rose much faster than usual, and Development Inc. (ACCORD Inc.); Donna Mitzi Lagdameo, Red Cross/ are clear. During typhoon seasons the eventually reaching the second floor of Red Crescent Climate Centre situation worsens considerably. When some homes. Over 6,000 families were CDKN has a growing portfolio of work in states, provinces, cities and districts. It is committed to capturing the lessons learned, and to better understanding what makes low-carbon and climate-resilient development efforts work well at the subnational level. CDKN and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability have set up a joint learning programme to distil and share these lessons with others. This Inside Story is one output of the learning programme. For more in the series, visit www.cdkn.org/cdkn_series/inside-story that take into account risk reduction ain or shine, there are Implementing the PfR programme in Malabon City measures. The project also held floods in Malabon. training sessions on ways to integrate R – Local saying In Potrero barangay, the PfR programme these plans into communities’ overall focused on raising awareness and development plans, and ensure that building capacity among people and climate- and ecosystem-smart risk are institutions to identify the real causes part of the main agenda. affected, some of whom were trapped of flooding, while examining how inside buildings, and needed rescue best these can be addressed before PfR initiated discussions between the support and emergency provisions. implementing steps to do so. local government unit and the Philippine Three years later, in August 2012, Atmospheric Geophysical and the same communities again suffered Customised approaches to Astronomical Services Administration flooding due to heavy monsoon rains understanding risk (PAGASA), the national meteorological that lasted for several days.2 Finding out how best people can office. This was not only to make sure understand risk in an urban setting – its that official scientific findings were Of Malabon’s 21 barangays, the largest causes, impact over time and mitigation directly shared with the population but and most flood-affected is Potrero.3 – was among the essential components also, more importantly, to start building Sections of the barangay lie along of PfR. By conducting parallel and a working partnership with them that the Tullahan River, which stretches customised initiatives with target will last beyond the project’s lifetime. from Quezon City to Valenzuela City. groups of people, risk perceptions were During these exchanges, PAGASA Several industries such as paper and addressed. For most of the community showed evidence that rains have dye factories are also located along the members, film showings, purok (a cell become more intense in recent years river. Run-off starting from the La Mesa within a barangay) meetings, and other and that projections for the next 20–50 Dam upstream in Quezon City, the forms of public awareness activities years indicate heavier rains during wet frequent occurrence of high tides and were conducted. These activities months and an increased occurrence of the heavily silted and clogged Tullahan captured the attention of the youth as extreme weather events. River further contribute to the frequent well as different gender and sector floods in the area. groups; their participation contributed Understanding that early to their increased level of awareness of warning is more than just In 2011, the Partners for Resilience (PfR)4 the different risk factors, warnings and, warnings programme started to use an integrated more importantly, what actions they can PfR aimed to change people’s mindsets and holistic resilience building approach take as individuals, families and as a about the warnings issued by PAGASA, to disaster risk reduction (DRR), climate community. In addition, flood risk maps emphasising that there is more to change adaptation, and ecosystem that show specific high-risk areas have early warning than typhoon signals management and restoration. Its main been printed on large-format tarpaulins and rainfall level colour codes. Using objective is to help people understand and posted at strategic locations to PfR’s enhanced risk assessment tools how things work and how best they can serve as daily reminders of the risk and for climate adaptation and ecosystem address their levels of vulnerability. It need for action. management and restoration – does this using tools that clearly explain community members could view early the connection between and importance For the local chief executives, on the warning in a new way. They were better of: geographical landscapes; climate other hand, PfR conducted capacity- able to place hazards in the context of information across different timescales; building activities on community-based historical scientific data about forecasts and how best to act before, during disaster risk management and disaster and projections; identify the most at-risk and after a disaster in order to reduce preparedness, along with workshops areas; and develop ‘no-regrets’ actions people’s risk. on ways to improve contingency plans based on thresholds and forecast- 2 based DRR activities and information. need to adapt this information to the Currently there are eight early warning With the new understanding, barangay local context for better understanding devices installed to observe the amount officials, other local leaders and some – and, ultimately, stronger community of rainfall in the Tullahan River area. residents shifted their mindsets away responses to warnings. The local Four of these automatically feed into the from a passive acceptance of flooding government committed resources from PAGASA hydrometeorology centre, and as a normal occurrence in Potrero their local disaster risk reduction and their data can be readily accessed by and started identifying action points to management fund as well as personnel Potrero. However, the other four were change this norm. Localised warnings to this task. They ensured that PAGASA installed by the Advanced Science and were developed for different areas to provided simpler, clearer and more Technology Institute (ASTI), which like generate the most appropriate actions context-specific warning information PAGASA, is also a bureau within the at specific times. PfR also placed to help community members respond Department of Science and Technology. the evacuation plan under review to more proactively to the warnings