The sinking truth

By Herman M. Lagon

To be clear, this is not an article about the controversial Ungka flyover that has been making waves in Iloilo City. Although that building may be sinking in places it should not be, the real problem is much more severe: literally sinking this thriving city every year.

In a study on land subsidence in Iloilo City, the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute recently revealed that some areas are sinking at an alarming rate of up to 9 millimeters annually. While it might not seem like much, that represents an actual freefall in geological terms. Even though it might be easy to write these numbers off as just another statistic or a case of “that’s not my problem,” the truth is much more critical.

Iloilo’s dire situation is not unique to it. Cities worldwide, including Venice, Italy, Lagos, Nigeria, and Jakarta, Indonesia, are dealing with comparable or even more severe problems. For instance, Jakarta is sinking 6.7 inches on average per year, which has forced the Indonesian government to take on the enormous task of moving the capital to another location to avoid the encroaching sea. Lagos, the largest city in Africa, is in danger of being swallowed by rising waters and crumbling coastlines. And then there’s Venice, the archetypal example of an urban sinking, where the Adriatic gradually claims centuries’ worth of history.

However, why is this happening? Why are these formerly stable cities abruptly sinking beneath the earth’s surface or being engulfed by the ocean? Numerous culprits are involved, including the compaction of sediments due to natural processes, excessive groundwater extraction, and rapid urbanization. Combining rising sea levels with climate change creates the perfect storm for land subsidence.

The geographical location of Iloilo and the city’s infrastructural difficulties exacerbate the situation. Mandurriao, Molo, and La Paz are some of the most severely affected districts. Between the Tigum River, the Dungon Creek, the Iloilo River, the Iloilo-Guimaras Strait, and an assortment of fishponds, swamps, floodways, and salt beds, La Paz and its baby district, Lapuz, and, I calculatedly hypothesize, even the City Proper, practically float. Despite being beautiful, this abundance of water is gradually weakening the ground beneath these densely populated areas, causing the sinking ground we are currently seeing.

Just take a moment to compare Iloilo and Metro Manila. The latter is also sinking; subsidence rates are as high as 10 centimeters annually in certain places. The reasons are sadly well-known: excessive groundwater extraction, unrestrained urban sprawl, and inadequate land-use planning. A terrifying situation has emerged in the KAMANAVA area of Metro Manila (Kalookan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela) due to subsidence and rising sea levels: entire communities are now below sea level. They are, therefore, susceptible to even the most minor storm surges like the Carina flood this late July.

Furthermore, cities are not the only ones in danger. The entire nation of Maldives is teetering on the brink of total submersion at the center of the Indian Ocean. As global sea levels continue to rise, projections suggest that many of the Maldives’ islands could be swallowed by the ocean by the century’s end. This stark reality underscores the profound consequences of our actions—or inactions—extending far beyond individual cities and threatening entire countries.

Once again, the warning signals are evident in Iloilo. As a direct result of excessive groundwater extraction, places like Molo are already seeing saltwater intrusion into their freshwater wells. This is not only an environmental problem; a public health emergency is brewing. Saline contamination of freshwater supplies can exacerbate local communities’ difficulties, resulting in various issues, from gastrointestinal ailments to the destruction of agricultural land.

What then needs to be done? There is no longer any option to ignore the issue. To solve the problem, a multifaceted strategy combining ecological restoration, sustainable water management, and forward-thinking urban planning is needed. Cities such as Jakarta and Venice teach us that action should be taken now rather than when the water is at your door.

First and foremost, Iloilo City must take groundwater resource management seriously. The city will keep sinking unless there is a strong plan to control and curtail excessive extraction, a major contributor to land subsidence, while proactively responding to the metropolis’s drinking water crisis. This could entail stringent and sustainable laws governing well drilling and implementing alternate water sources like desalination or rainwater collection.

Urban development has harmed natural water ecosystems, which must be restored at the same time. Refilling groundwater tables with artificial recharge systems, green spaces, and permeable surfaces can achieve ground stabilization and a slower rate of subsidence. This is a major undertaking, particularly in a rapidly growing city, but it is necessary if Iloilo is to continue to be a livable place in the long run.

Urban planners’ jobs are not easy, either. Future developments in Iloilo need to be planned with land subsidence in mind. This entails designing more intelligently and creating buildings that are resilient to the ground’s unavoidable shifting. Rethinking the city’s relationship with its waterways is also necessary to ensure that they are viewed as resources to be managed rather than as challenges to be surmounted.

Most importantly, a mentality change is required. Although the challenges confronting Iloilo City are significant, they can be overcome. To tackle these issues, it is essential to have a dedicated approach to strategic planning, a readiness to allocate resources to solutions that may not provide immediate outcomes, and a firm understanding that our decisions will determine the future of the city.

Ultimately, the sinking problem in Iloilo is a microcosm of a much more widespread global problem. Cities all across the world are dealing with similar problems, and the solutions we work out here might serve as a template for others. However, time is not on our side. The costs, in terms of both money and human lives, will only rise if we keep delaying.

Therefore, even though the Ungka flyover may have its own issues, they pale in comparison to the difficulties that lie beneath our feet. The earth is moving, and if we do not take action soon, we might end up watching as this lovely city disappears under the sea.

It is time to do something with urgency. Because becoming the next Jakarta, Lagos, or Venice is the last thing any city, including Iloilo, wants to be. Whether we are talking about a thriving, resilient city in the future or just a memory of one will depend on our decisions today.

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Doc H fondly describes himself as a ”student of and for life” who, like many others, aspires to a life-giving and why-driven world grounded in social justice and the pursuit of happiness. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the institutions he is employed or connected with.