Climate change is a serious problem that is seemingly irreversible. Typhoons get stronger, water levels constantly rising, and floods getting worse. I only read about climate change on books when I was young and don't give much thought to it. Melting ice at the coldest parts of the world? That's too far from where I am. Few decades later, I realized we are all connected together and now I'm witnessing its effects.
Dagupan City is one of the progressive cities in my province Pangasinan. It also produces the best-tasting bangus (milk fish) in the world. However, the city faces a serious problem, flood which is either caused by rain or high tide. These Local Environmental Problems have been affecting businesses in the city and the daily lives of people. Students and employees working in the city would often compare themselves to a milk fish swimming their way to their schools and works due to the frequent flooding especially at the the main roads. I remember one time in college, my feet got slightly soaked in flood (caused by high tide) when I got off the jeepney early morning while on my way to school. I still haven't reached school yet I'm already having a bad day. Lol.
The city is situated along the Lingayen Gulf which is why fish farming is also a thriving business. They say Dagupan City's land is slowly sinking and there will come a time it will be lower than the water/sea level. And when that happens, the city will get erased from the map.
We don't get announcements about high tide when I was young because the roads don't get affected. But these past years, high tide has become a big concern.
A motorcycle driver putting his feet up to avoid getting soaked in flood water. Balancing skill 10/10!!!
I took this photo back in 2022 during my mother's wake. Every morning, I would leave early from the chapel to take a bath at home and eat some snack before heading back to the chapel. I need to rush back because in a few hours (or usually during lunch time), flood due to high tide has already crawled out from the drainages of the roads greatly affecting the low-lying areas of the city.
It was laughable at first because why would there be flood when the skies are clear? But then it became alarming when it hapenned the second time... third time... until it became a regular sight to everyone traversing the roads of this city.
That Jollibee on the right has closed down due to the constant flooding and road elevation that was taking a long time.
This is how it looks like during high tide, so just imagine the flood during a typhoon or monsoon rain which is even boosted sometimes by high tide. People were tired of this situation. Some even get discouraged to go to this city and some businesses even have to close down or relocate because their location is prone to flood.
Dagupan City having a low land, also becomes the catch basin of its neighboring towns. Flood from other towns would crawl to this city before exiting to the Lingayen Gulf.
I've seen they've done some dredging in the past years but the obvious solution to this problem that would bring relief to the commuters is elevating the roads. However, this is only like a temporary solution because flood catches up easily with the elevated roads in a few years. But it seems like the current mayor of the city got fed up with this recurring problem and the non-stop rants of people on social media. In 2023, they began the city's biggest road construction, elevating the road around a meter and even changing the drainage culverts with a bigger diameter.
Photo taken last September 2024. Half of the road was already finished.
As you can see on the photo above, the left lane was already elevated compared to the right lane. It was already cemented but not visible from this angle. The flood you see on the right lane was caused by the high tide.
Construction on this area began in 2023 and was only finished around last month. The construction on this area was a big hassle to everyone due to the on and off traffic rerouting. Aside from that, I hated passing by this road when going to the city because of dust which triggers my allergy so I have to take another route to avoid it.
People were shocked at this high elevation. Some were positive and hopeful but others say it will do no change. But it looks like the plan has somehow worked. These past high tides and strong rains, the elevated roads were dry.
An area of the city that easily gets flooded. This photo was taken during an on going high tide. They've already began constructing this part when I passed by two weeks ago.
The city has been elevating the roads by part which is why the construction is still on going today and the parts that are yet to be elevated still suffer with flood. While this road project gave relief to the motorists, the biggest downside is houses and establishments getting left behind from the new road level. Even the bridges of the city almost feel like a flat road now.
Just how long will this keep the city from flood? My mother who had worked as an Architect at the city's Department of Public Works and Highways would sometimes tell us that flood will continue rising in the future and it will be a never ending road elevation for the city. It's also just redirecting the flood on the low areas. And when the low area gets elevated, the flood would flow to the next lower parts of the city. On a side note, she also mentioned that the soil quality of the city isn't suitable for high-rise buildings.
Sadly, I think flood will be a perpetual issue in Dagupan City and residents must also be financially equipped to do house renovations so their homes wouldn't get left behind.
Also, one small act but with a big impact is disposing our trashes properly. Trashes clog drainages causing the flood to get trapped and slow down the flood from subsiding. Sometimes, we shouldn't only put the blame on the government. People should also look on their actions and habits because they might be unconsciously contributing to the problem.
Thanks for reading! 💚
This is really sad and very alarming, yong kainitan but there's floodings 😥. Very hassle especially for students and workers.
This! We need more discipline para di na lumala and mas tummas ang baha. Ang nakakalungkot, nasa tao din ang problem 😥
True. Kelangan lagi nakaabang sa announcement kung kelan ba magstart ung high tide kung hindi susuong ka sa baha. Ok talaga na tinaas na yung mga kalsada. Hehe
Sayang lang yung drainages ginagawang basurahan. 😵💫
I guess we have something in common now 😔. Google Kerala floods for context.
39 major dams in kerala that's a lot! I read 34 were opened during the heavy rainfall. 🥲 we only have 1 here in the province and people already get worried when it opens just 1 to 2 gates.
See, now you understand haha. We always have floods during monsoon season. This year we had land slides as well which was considered a national disaster unofficially. Water was everywhere around our house and i genuinely thought at some point that out kitchen was gonna get flooded in hours if the rain kept at this pace. Luckily it didn't but next year it might.
It's getting worse every year and I don't know how long people can keep up with this. Commuting to the work place needs a boat during this time and it's not like Japan where the streets are clean so the water is clean as well. It's a muddy mess here when that happens. Like you said the shops and other establishments won't opms so people might lose jobs as well and the govt doesn't seem much interested in finding a solution. They are okay providing relief funds after people died. Sucks for us common people because they secured a home in foreign countries for their children to safely stay. People here are just blind and vote for idiots without any qualifications.
What a terrible fate for the city. Sink or swim, as they say. Sometimes the greatest innovations come not from creativity, but from necessity. Maybe with a bit of ingenuity, Dagupan City can become the next Venice in the future...
1 meter doesn't sound like very much in the long run but it's a lot of work still, isn't it?
My own neighborhood sits very close to a massive lake. I think back then the storms here were worse, but flooding was also a major problem. A century ago, they elevated the street in what is now the older part of the neighborhood. This was a massive undertaking! It was raised higher than one story! The sidewalks that lead to the front doors of the apartments actually meet the second story door. So the grass and people's yards are down below.
The venice of philippines. Lol why not. I think it might really happen someday.
Yup. The usual elevation I see in that city is between 1-2 ft only. I was looking on the facebook posts last night to find the exact measurement of the elevation but I can't find it. I noticed some areas weren't elevated for a meter.. but there were others that were about 5 ft high.
Wow! So your neighborhood didn't get flooded since then? The first story somehow turned into a basement. I'm afraid our city here will experience the same someday.
Well since I live in a newer section, actually it has never flooded! This part must have been built in the 1930s and 40s. There's an even newer part more south and I think it continues to grow in that direction.
My late neighbor used to tell stories of when my avenue was the last one. Beyond that was virgen prairie; undeveloped natural habitat! And they would just play softball in the fields. Much that once was is lost. None now live who remember it.
Some parts of streets might get inundated now, like during a heavy storm in autumn or springtime. I don't count that as a good though because it drains quickly and the basement remains dry. This is nothing compared to the Rains in Mexico or the little bit of the typhoon season I witnessed in the Philippines.
The northern section of the neighborhood is probably so much older that I don't think they even have true basements. It's only, like you said, the original ground floor is the basement even though it's not underground. I don't know the exact number either, but the street over there is elevated maybe 4 meters
or more
⋆ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ғᴏʀ sᴏᴜᴛʜᴇᴀsᴛ ᴀsɪᴀɴ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴏɴ ʜɪᴠᴇ
⋆ sᴜʙsᴄʀɪʙᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀsᴇᴀɴ ʜɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ
⋆ ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀsᴇᴀɴ ʜɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ ᴠᴏᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʀᴀɪʟ
⋆ ᴅᴇʟᴇɢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ʟɪɴᴋs 25 ʜᴘ⇾50 ʜᴘ⇾100 ʜᴘ⇾500 ʜᴘ⇾1,000 ʜᴘ
I remember before that everytime there is a typhoon, bangus (milkfish) overflows from fishponds hence are being sold very cheap.