A Primer on Flood

From Bulatlat.com

Undeniably, floods severely alter the lives of people in the community.  One only needs to look back in recent history to remember the thousands who have perished during the onslaught of typhoon Haiyan – the most powerful storm in the world at that time.

Recently, Tuguegarao experienced massive flooding which displaced communities and sunk barangays.  Even UCV became a great lake at that time. Many claimed that Lando was the worst flooding that hit the city.

The People of Tuguegarao are fortunate to be shielded by the mountains that surround Cagayan Valley.  Nonetheless, Tuguegarao still suffers from flooding, especially in areas near the Cagayan and Pinacanauan rivers.

No matter how inconvenient, the fact is that the problems of pollution and climate change are real.  Recent developments in science and technology have supported this fact.  In the locality, many have claimed that weather disturbances such as storms and drought have grown worse over the years.

From ABS-CBN News

Natural Causes of Flooding – Intense and prolonged rainfall or weather disturbances such as Low Pressure Areas (LPAs), Tropical Cyclones, and Inter-Tropical Convergence Zones (ITCZs) are among the natural causes of flooding.  In these situations, rainfall is usually experienced in places covered by these disturbances.

           

Storm Surge (such as the ones during Yolanda) is another cause of flooding in which storms raise sea-levels by several feet and thus inundate low-lying coastal communities.  However, storm surges should not be confused with High Tide, which is a natural phenomenon cause by the gravitational pull between the Moon and the Earth.  High Tide however aggravates flooding, especially near coastlines.  Another distinct type of flooding is called Flash Flood in which exceptional volumes of water sweep downstream, scooping up trees, boulders, and houses, among others.

From Bulatlat.com

Human Activity – Since the industrial revolution, production has experienced an explosion made it easier than ever to produce goods.  However, increased production has also increased waste – especially plastic products and toxic materials. But of course, plastic and other waste materials do not just randomly appear in different bodies of water.

The human factor has caused much of the planet’s environmental problems over the years.  Increased urbanization, informal settling, and poor waste disposal are among these human factors.  In these situations, where waste management agencies cannot cope up with the population explosion, pollution is its immediate effect.  Thus, aside from the danger caused by flooding, the threat of toxic poisoning emerges as well.

            While pollution may be considered incidental to urbanization and industrialization, other factors such as deforestation, mining, and human miscalculation exist.  Deforestation seems to be the most prevalent human activity affecting the environment in which oxygen-generating trees which firmly hold the ground are cut down – often illegally.  In the same vein, mining also causes substantial damage to the ecosystem as whole mountains, riverbeds, and forests are devastated.  Lastly, the human-error factor such as miscalculations in the capacity of a Dam to hold water also risk causing major damage, especially through floods, when for instance one breaks down and flood everything below it.   

While human beings are subject to the laws (and at times the fury) of nature, there is still much that can be done to help the situation.  In the thousands of years that mankind has existed, it seems that survival is its strongest attribute.  However, given the short span after the industrial revolution and the consequences of such growth, it seems that human beings face an even greater threat – themselves.

Issue No.1;1st Semester, S.Y. 2015-2016