Tantingco: People from the riverbanks

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

SO ARE we now going to get these floods every year and are they going to worsen every time?

The answers are yes and yes, and the reason is that years of unmitigated deforestation in Sierra Madre have finally caught up with us: the mountains are literally melting into the rivers, pushing the floodwater out of the channels and spreading it across the plain.

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Pampanga and Bulacan will bear the brunt of these floods because they are located right where the rivers empty into the sea-that is, the endpoint of the Central Plain's drainage system where the volume of water is greatest and the river current is slowest and the amount of silt is heaviest.

Those who live in Apalit, Calumpit, Hagonoy, Pulilan, Plaridel, Malolos and Paombong will always be flooded because their towns are sitting on top of an ancient swamp, the Pinac de Hagonoy (Hagonoy Swamp). This is where the Angat River joins the Pampanga River via the Bagbag River.

Those who live in Candaba, San Luis, San Simon, Cabiao, Baliuag, San Miguel, San Ildefonso and San Rafael are also condemned to a lifetime of annual floods because their towns are located in a huge dry lake known as the Pinac de Candaba (Candaba Swamp).

There is also another swamp north of Mount Arayat, the San Antonio Swamp in Nueva Ecija.

These swamps-the Hagonoy Swamp, the Candaba Swamp, and the San Antonio Swamp-are located in a depressed corridor that runs from Nueva Vizcaya all the way down to Manila Bay. It's called the Pampanga River Basin. It's where the rivers and streams coming from all directions in Central Luzon collect and become the mighty Pampanga River, also called the Rio Grande in colonial times.

The floods on Bulacan side are worse than those on Pampanga side because the Arnedo Dike, built about 100 years ago, keeps the overflow water from spreading towards Pampanga.

Another cause of flooding in Bulacan is the Angat River whose series of dams has only worsened the situation because those in charge of releasing the floodwater have insufficient data on the conditions downstream. There is also no efficient coordination between the dam operators and the local authorities.

The flooding in Pampanga is mostly focused in an area called the Guagua River Basin, a depressed area where the rivers emanating from Mount Pinatubo collect and form another great river, the Guagua-Pasak River, which also drains into the Manila Bay.

The Abacan River, for example, flows from Angeles to Mexico heading towards Pampanga River when it suddenly, inexplicably turns towards Sto. Tomas and Minalin, which are part of the Guagua River Basin.

The Pasig-Potrero River and the Porac-Gumain River also swerve when they reach a certain point and head towards the Guagua River Basin.

People who see this great river in downtown Guagua think it's the Pampanga River but it's actually the Guagua-Pasak River, which is fed by tributaries such as the Sapang Matulid (from Mexico) which is also known by various names like San Fernando River and Betis River depending on where it passes.

Long ago, Guagua-Pasak River was known as Dalan Bapor, because ships from Manila did pass here on their way to pick up passengers in Mexico and to transport canned goods from a large cannery in Guagua.

During the British Occupation in 1762-64, the Spaniards escaped to Bacolor through this river. The British fleets trying to pursue them had to turn back because the townspeople had planted stakes in the Sasmuan section of the Guagua-Pasak River.

In 1899, the Spaniards retreating from Aguinaldo's Revolutionary Army sought refuge in Macabebe where they boarded ships that took them to Manila via the Guagua-Pasak River.

Today, the Guagua-Pasak River has been connected to Pampanga River by means of a manmade channel that was created years ago to regulate the floodwater between the two rivers.

The government is also presently dredging the Pampanga River delta in an effort to remove tons of silt and sand that have accumulated since Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991.

Aside from dredging, the government should also outlaw once and for all the fishponds that are making the river sluggish where it should be rushing to the sea.

It should also locate all the lost rivers, creeks and canals that once formed an intricate web of water channels that efficiently drained all floodwater from the province. It can do this by looking at old maps and reading the clues provided by old names of places.

For example, the people living in a community in Macabebe called Palapawan should realize that it means a "place where water overflows." Another village is called "Tacasan" which means a "place where water escapes." The town's poblacion is actually a barrio called Sapang Pari, which means "the priest's creek."

There are many places like these all over Pampanga and Bulacan, which should give the Department of Public Works and Highways a clue on why they are always flooded.

Our ancestors were actually smarter than us because they built their houses on stilts and they avoided the floodplains. Today we build one-story bungalows in areas we know are always flooded.

Of all people living in the archipelago, we Kapampangans should be the wisest and best prepared when it comes to floods because, after all, we are called Kapampangans, "the people from the riverbanks."