5 ways to prevent another flooding disaster

While the discussion on why the great flood happened isn't over yet, I think it's time we start brainstorming solutions, and not dwell too much on who's to blame. Here's a few ideas on what we can do to prevent a similar disaster:

1. Identify flood-prone areas. This has been done at the metro and possibly city level (I'm sure one or two cities within Metro Manila have done some form of flood hazard mapping-- I've seen such maps for Makati and Marikina), but its good to have it at the scale of the barangay, with details like depth of the water, speed of level rise, etc. vis-a-vis the details of the population in the area. This will give us a general idea of the low, moderate, and high risk areas. Knowing where the flood will occur (or have occurred) is necessary for the succeeding steps.

2. Institute a flood warning system. Floods are easier to predict, unlike earthquakes. So doing this will not be very complicated or expensive. We'll just need to have a few more rain gauges and monitoring stations along major river systems. Local government units and even community organizations or homeowners associations can have their own warning systems.

3. Improve emergency response at the local level. If every flood-prone barangay had a rubber boat and a rescue team (who would be on alert once there is a warning system in place) then perhaps response would be quicker .

4. Identify development options for the different risk areas. This can be one or a mixture of the following:

a. Avoidance, i.e. relocate people and critical infrastructure out of the area. What makes this option complicated is that it is very hard to find space within an already crowded metropolis.

b.Mitigation, i.e. you reduce impact of the hazard through measures such as infrastructure like dikes or flood ways (example: KL's new floodway-slash-highway).

c. Adaptation, i.e. you accept that the flood will happen anyway and just prepare for it (see the stilt houses they built in New Orleans after Katrina).

d. Risk transfer, e.g. insurance. In the US, flood insurance is available for people in flood-prone areas as long as they follow certain guidelines (such as a minimum base floor height, among other things).

5. Ensure that future development will be safe, and not contribute to the problem. Measures include the following:

a. Implementing laws on water easements. This takes a while though. For example, its taking the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission years to reclaim a continuous 10-meter easement.

b. Limiting further development on high risk areas. For a few years, market forces might make this a natural development...I can't imagine anyone wanting to build a new house in Provident Village after what happened. But it needs to be legislated, so people don't forget.

c. Imposing design guidelines for development in low-moderate risk areas. Guidelines can range from appropriate architecture, site development (e.g. more green and less concrete), density controls, etc. These guidelines (including limitations) can be instituted in zoning ordinances by the local government, but homeowners and developers themselves should also do their own research before doing any project.

Items 1-3 are definitely doable and can be done immediately (there are already good examples of community-based flood preparedness programs).

Items 4-5 are more challenging will need more rigorous planning and creative thinking among all stakeholders. The details and impacts of the development options and guidelines also need to be fleshed out, and implementation mechanisms set. Madugong bakbakan ito!