PREPARATION IS KEY; OCD-6: No confirmation of ‘rising seas’ report

By: Jennifer P. Rendon

The Office of Civil Defense 6 (OCD-6) neither confirmed nor denied the possibility that some areas in Western Visayas are at risk of rising sea level and coastal flooding due to climate change.

“So far, wala namang pinapalabas na report from higher office,” Jose Roberto Nuñez, OCD-6 regional director, referring to an official report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

While he did not discuss the possibility that some cities might be submerged by 2050, he stressed that preparedness is vital.

“What’s important is the preparation of our local government units (LGUs),” he said.

Nuñez also pointed out the need for LGUs to submit their action plans in cases of disasters and the likes.

“That’s why, we have been reiterating the need for contingency planning,” he said.

Earlier, Nuñez lamented that only two LGUs submitted structural assessment reports and contingency plans for major calamities despite several memoranda issued by the OCD.

He noted that majority of local governments are not keen on preparing for major disasters.

On Monday, Mayor Jerry Treñas said the Iloilo City government together with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), and other concerned agencies will meet and study the report published last week indicating threats of rising sea levels that could engulf Iloilo City by 2050.

Even Treñas claimed that he doesn’t know if the report is true but claimed he would sit down with the MGB and other government agencies about that report as soon as possible.

A report by Climate Central indicated that several countries in the world are at risk of being submerged by 2050 due to increasing sea levels caused by climate change.

In the Philippines, major cities in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao could potentially be erased from the map as coastal flooding and increasing sea levels may take place in 30 years.

Based on the coastal screening tool of Climate Central, the following areas will be inundated by 2050 – Roxas City, Iloilo City, and areas of Iloilo, Antique, and Aklan.

According to Treñas, they already installed pumping stations in Muelley Loney in City Proper district and Iloilo River to control water flow in drainage systems.

Treñas said they have to study very carefully the findings of the report to ensure that all the facts are indeed true.

According to a Climate Central study published in Nature Communications, the rise in sea level by 2050 will trigger average annual coastal floods higher than areas that are home to 300 million people.

The study and research brief from Climate Central feature individual assessments of 135 countries across multiple climate scenarios and years.