The Netherlands is a country well-versed in controlling and diverting flood waters.
Ano ang kwentong Kristine mo?”
Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past few weeks, you’ve most likely seen the effects of tropical storm Kristine (internationally known as Trami)—deep floods, destroyed homes and landslides that devastated many areas in our country. While the responses in terms of disaster relief and community outreach are all commendable, it’s saddening to think that it’s not the first time this had happened.
Over and over again, the Philippines falls victim to heavy storms. This is due to its natural geography and proximity to the Northwestern Pacific Basin, the world’s most active tropical cyclone breeding ground.
Is there a way we can learn from the past and prevent tragedies in the future? Or are we doomed to suffer almost every year from the wrath of Mother Nature?
Perhaps if we all took a minute and learned how others dealt with similar predicaments, we might be able to prepare better and avoid the worst of the storms in the future.
The Dutch Delta Programme
The Delta Programme of the Dutch government requires all municipalities to routinely assess and address areas vulnerable to floods and other catastrophes.
If there’s one country in the world that can be called the “flood master,” it would probably be the Netherlands.
Having suffered disastrous floods in the ’50s and ’90s, the Dutch people have taken well-thought out measures to prevent such catastrophes from ever happening again. Its government created the Delta Programme, a national climate-proofing plan that focuses on flood risk management, freshwater supply, and spatial adaptation. Every year, national officials review the plan to ensure they meet the needs of the times.
Majority of the plan details policies and programs, but the measures in terms of spatial adaptation are particularly interesting.
The Delta Plan requires all municipalities to conduct stress tests to identify areas vulnerable to disasters. This involves checking main roads, railway networks, and other public areas to identify the areas at risk of damage, areas which would best serve for “damage containment” and areas for “casualty containment” during disasters.
Maps are created to summarize the findings of all municipalities and to help the national government plan ahead. Risk dialogues are conducted in vulnerable areas to help communities plan for potential catastrophes. All these activities are routinely done every six years to ensure that they are up to date.
In terms of built structure, various facilities are designed to serve a secondary purpose as disaster relief shelters should the need arise.
For example, bicycle parking facilities in Zwolle are prepared to become additional water storage during droughts and to divert water during rains. Flood walls, dams and dikes are also built to prevent the water from reaching residences during heavy storms.
While the Delta Plan does not completely eradicate floods, they prevent devastating impacts on the community as a whole through preparation.
So far, the program has helped the Netherlands survive disasters which have severely impacted its neighbors such as Germany and Belgium. With its successful Delta Programme, the Netherlands serves as a great model from which the Philippines can learn from to defend itself from natural disasters.
Natural inclinations of New Zealand
New Zealand prioritizes maintaining natural features over building structural solutions to fight against floods.
New Zealand is another country often beset by flooding.
In terms of flood prevention measures, the country is unique because it prioritizes improving and protecting natural landscapes over building man made facilities to prevent devastating floods on its communities.
The national government calls for flexible or adaptive flood management measures.
This means that local councils are encouraged to take precautionary approaches when making decisions during catastrophes and to account for uncertainties. Options are implemented in phases and only when the time calls for it. Flood hazard management plans are also maximized to determine zoning rules, urban growth strategies and development of catchment provisions.
In terms of spatial solutions, “soft engineering” or more natural solutions are preferred. This implies maintaining river and coastal features to ensure water flow is easily controlled during storms. Frequent clean-ups and natural land restoration programs are done to ensure that flood risks are avoided as much as possible.
Besides flood prevention, environmental programs also provided the added benefit of conserving biodiversity, animal habitats and improving water quality for the community. These measures are also generally cheaper and easier to maintain in the long run compared to manmade structures.
“Hard engineering” or structural solutions are only applied when necessary as support to natural measures. Solutions such as upstream storage of flood waters, stop banks, flood walls, erosion protection methods and household flood protection measures are done once all natural solutions have been exhausted and the hazards remain.
The worrying future of the Philippines
The effective disaster plans of the Netherlands and New Zealand demonstrate that there are things we can do as a nation to prevent storms and floods from devastating us.
Other countries such as the United States, China, Japan, Egypt and the United Kingdom have carried out effective flood management measures that we can learn from.
It’s high time we stop calling ourselves victims of climate change and start working toward efficient, long-term solutions. Let us all take a step back, think and do our part in ensuring that devastating storms in our country are relegated to the past.
Sources: Tyler Lastovich, Nathan Cowley, Ruben Reijgwart and Albina Kukaj via Pexels.com; https://www.government.nl/; https://environment.govt.nz/