Tuesday, September 09, 2008 Oledan: Nature's warning By Radzini Oledan Slice of life
THERE are disasters in the waiting.
The loss of lives and properties, including resources poured for rescue and rebuilding communities, could have been averted if local government units are able to invest in sound environmental management.
Devastations triggered by 'natural' disasters stems from ecologically destructive practices.
Compostela Valley substantially relies on economic activities, such as mining for its economic sufficiency. Yet, a comprehensive environmental plan that addresses the potential impact of these activities on the environment remains wanting.
Landslides are just an indication of a greater environmental issue.
Environmental studies have shown that deforestation, forest management activities, and other economic activities like mining, results in intense changes that may lead to silting, water contamination, flooding, and landslides.
Undoubtedly, there is a link between environmental systems and disasters, and also the synergies between man-made and natural disasters.
More often, indications of environmental abuse are overlooked because 'development' projects appear to be economically viable for the community.
The excessive land use due to economic activities is eroding the natural buffers that protect communities from hazard risk. These changes often erode people's capacity to recover from disaster.
Tragic it may seem to lose the lives of people due to disasters but the greater tragedy is that many of the losses due to disaster could have been averted with good environmental management.
In the reactive frame of mind, there will always be economic payoffs. But often, it is the public who are at the receiving end of environmental disasters.
We could be paying a heavy price for our failure to integrate sound environmental measures in governance.
Environmental catastrophes are not lacking. The greater challenge is on how to cull out substantial learning on these experiences to provide greater focus on environmental management for disaster risk reduction.
Experience would show that there will always be a need to emphasize and reinforce environmental concerns in disaster management. In fact, the sound management of natural resources is a tool to prevent disasters or lessen their impacts on people, their homes and livelihoods.
Multi-stakeholder partnership that links LGUs, private sector, and civil society groups to facilitate an effective disaster prevention and mitigation is in place.
But it would also do well to capacitate communities in identifying the interface between disaster risk and critical environmental hazards, as well as in preparing them to manage risks.
The buffer for any risk and the strategy for disaster preparedness and management is information. This will enable communities to make informed decisions and undertake proactive measures.
There are clear indications of environmental abuse. We only need to take heed of the warnings.
