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| There are literally a thousand reminders of what aided in the making of this tragedy ... |
We should have seen this coming.
It has only been three years
since the typhoon Ondoy struck Metro Manila (and the rest of Luzon) with
ferociousness and intensity unseen for a long time. Entire villages were submerged,
roads were turned into dirty pools of water, and people were motionless and
helpless as they waited for somebody to rescue them from isolated areas. Many
feared that this phenomenon will happen again sooner than later.
And it has. Just last week,
despite the lack of typhoons present in the Philippine area of responsibility,
Metro Manila was once again hit hard by heavy rainfall. The harsh memories of
September 2009 became a reality once again to everybody who lived that time to
bear witness to what is clearly the effect of careless anthropogenic activities.
There is no denying that poor
waste management is one of these man-made reasons behind the intensified
flooding. Granted that the amount of rainfall that fell all over Metro Manila over
the past week is comparable to the precipitation that hits Metro Manila on
average in a month, which undeniably contributes to submerging most of the
low-lying areas of the metropolis, but it would not have been as severe if it
is not for improper disposal of wastes.
By failing to practice proper
waste disposal by throwing garbage as small as candy wrappers to unwanted items
as large as plastic bags into rivers and canals, these wastes can be directed
into drainage systems, where they clog the drains, causing wastewater and
garbage pile-up. This is critical for a low-lying area like Metro Manila, which
falls under the Pampanga delta region, making it extremely prone to flooding
and subsidence.
Complicating the situation is the
amount of waste generated by Metro Manila. Being the political, economic, and
social center of the country, it produces around 8500 tons of trash everyday (as
of 2011), with 2/3 being biodegradable wastes such as food scraps and paper,
and 1/3 being plastic materials and the other non-biodegradable wastes. With
only nine of the 17 cities of Metro Manila having a solid waste management plan
and a general lack of discipline from the residents of Metro Manila living
below the poverty line (as of 2011), comprising around a fifth of the people
living in the metropolis, an urgency to lead the way for promoting proper waste
management is completely necessary.
We, as Ateneans, know better than
most of the other Filipinos. Most of us live around Metro Manila for the time
being, so we can see first-hand how simply failing to throw our trash in the
right places can ultimately haunt us in the end. We observe trash being carried
by the strong currents of rampaging rivers and ferocious floods. We look around
our surroundings afterwards to spot banana peels, plastic cups, and food
containers scattered all over the place.
We, as Ateneans, have more access
to information and immediate communication than most of the other Filipinos. As
part of the university, we are expected “to preserve, extend, and communicate
truth and apply it to human development and the preservation of the environment”.
We are obliged to “devote our lives to the service of others and, through the
promotion of justice, serve especially those who are most in need of help, the
poor and the powerless”. We are demanded “to strive for the greater glory of
God and the greater service of mankind”.
We may not have seen this coming,
but it is not too late to start. Simply being aware of where to properly throw
that piece of candy wrapper is a small step to lifting ourselves from drowning
in our sins to Mother Nature.
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