Philippine floods a man-made disaster—experts MANILA, Philippines—Deadly floods that have swamped nearly all of the Philippine capital are less a natural disaster and more the result of poor planning, lax enforcement and political self-interest, experts say. Damaged watersheds, massive squatter colonies living in danger zones and the neglect of drainage systems are some of the factors that have made the chaotic city of 15 million people much more vulnerable to enormous floods. Urban planner Nathaniel Einseidel said the Philippines had enough technical know-how and could find the necessary financing to solve the problem, but there was no vision or political will. “It’s a lack of appreciation for the benefits of long-term plans. It’s a vicious cycle when the planning, the policies and enforcement are not very well synchronized,” said Einseidel, who was Manila’s planning chief in1979-89. “I haven’t heard of a local government, a town or city that has a comprehensive drainage masterplan.” Read more: newsinfo.inquirer.net/246867/philippine-floods-a-man-made-disaster-experts#ixzz2cflsxpQZ Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook
Posted on: Thu, 22 Aug 2013 05:26:22 +0000
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