Water

When tropical storm Ondoy (International codename: Ketsana) entered the Philippines on the morning of 26 September, nobody predicted that the typhoon would cause widespread flooding in the country’s capital, affecting thousands of families and damaging infrastructure.

ADB responded to the calamity by providing US$3 million to support emergency relief efforts through its Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund (APDRF). A special-purpose Fund approved in April 2009, the APDRF was designed to provide immediate grant support to a member country government to help meet immediate financial requirements as they face the initial costs of responding to a major disaster. The Philippines became the fund’s first beneficiary.

The “Learning from the Ondoy Flood: A Dialogue with Experts” seminar at ADB shed more light on the different factors that contributed to the Ondoy flood calamity, and explored how better solutions can be found and implemented including both structural and non-structural interventions. Experts from various government and development agencies were invited as discussants. The dialogue was moderated by Wouter Lincklaen Arriens (Lead Professional for Water Resources) and Kimio Takeya (Disaster Management Expert, Consultant) from ADB’s Regional and Sustainable Development Department.

The recovery process from the Ondoy flood disaster is still underway. Everyone concerned would like to prevent a similar disaster from happening in the future. Unfortunately, climate change is expected to increase the frequency of high-intensity rainfall events and typhoons in the years to come, and disaster risk management should therefore become a higher priority for governments and for development organizations, including ADB.

The challenge for the burgeoning metropolis of Manila to manage floods, reduce vulnerability and disaster risks, and adapt to climate change is both complex and urgent. Addressing this challenge will need an integral approach that reaches across the boundaries of governments, communities, organizations, and disciplines. The seminar sought answers to the following questions:

1. What vulnerabilities has the Ondoy flood exposed?
2. What plans were made to reduce disaster risk?
3. What kinds of investments are needed to reduce disaster risk?

The discussants included representatives from the Laguna Lake Development Authority, Earthquakes and Megacities Initiative, Japan International Cooperation Agency, National Hydraulic Research Center and Institute of Civil Engineering, University of the Philippines–Diliman, and the Philippines’ Department of Public Works and Highways. They all agreed that the volume of rainfall Ondoy brought was unprecedented and proved too much for Metro Manila’s river and drainage system. However, they all also agreed that effective structural and nonstructural measures could have reduced risk to lives and property.

Some of the more salient points of the discussion were:

• That nonstructural solutions involving the local government and community can be better maximized; Structural solutions, though also important, require time and resources
• That better forecasting technology that can measure not only the strength of the typhoon, but also the amount of rainfall it brings should be put in place
• That drainage and sewerage facilities can be improved for better wastewater disposal and management
• That better urban planning, particularly for low-lying and flood-prone areas such as flood plains and embankments of rivers and the Laguna Lake is necessary
• That there is a need for better collaboration among different agencies, local governments, and communities

A week after Typhoon Ondoy devastated the Philippine capital, another tropical storm, Typhoon Pepeng, hit the country, this time triggering massive flooding and landslides in the northern provinces. In other parts of Asia, a tsunami engulfed the islands of Samoa and a strong earthquake shook Indonesia. ADB once again lent a helping hand.

These disasters, and the expected impacts of climate change, tell us that Asia needs bigger investments in disaster risk management. Typhoon Ondoy has exposed Metro Manila's vulnerabilities and the need for better measures, both structural and nonstructural, to reduce disaster risk. ADB will organize follow-up activities in consultation with development partners and relevant agencies.