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Disasters: A Side Effect of Urban Development

Pearl Therese Aton
Mar 11, 2015
5 min read

Newer and bigger malls, taller hotels, posh condominiums, and numerous residential villages – indeed the rapid development of Cagayan de Oro City is evident. A city that had only the famous Limketkai, SM City and Gaisano malls now has Centrio Mall and the upcoming SM Premier 2, which is said to open late this year. The tall, gold building that will greet tourists and balikbayans once they drive off from the Agora Bus Terminal is the newly erected high-end Limketkai Luxe Hotel. Posh condominiums such as Primavera Residences, The Loop, and Avida Towers to name a few, has already been introduced to the city as modern ways of apartment living. Gone are the days when Rosario Arcade and the DV Soria Night Cafe were the city’s food and entertainment destination. Cagayan de Oro already has a new “hotspot” for foodies and late night hang-outs. These are the Lifestyle District, Grand Central, and the Corrales Avenue.

There’s no stopping Cagayan de Oro for “booming” economically. The city was in fact awarded as one of the “most competitive cities” by the National Competitiveness Council last year. It ranked second with a score of 49.36% next to Makati with a score of 53.24%.

While these developments have helped the city receive prestigious titles and has also improved the local economy, these can also trigger indiscriminate urban development which leads to an increase in the number of casualties during disasters.

From the mountains to the concrete jungles

Urban Development is defined as, “the physical spatial development, such as architecture and city planning.” This will lead to urbanization (also called as domestic migration), which refers to the increasing number of people living in urban areas. More and better jobs, better health care, and better quality of education are a few of the many factors as to why people move from the provinces to the cities. The more developed a city is, the higher the urban population.

Unfortunately, the cities don’t always guarantee everyone with a good life. Oftentimes, these domestic migrators tend to resort to settling in inner city slums, which are located in unstable living environments. Some people’s houses are built on steep slopes, along flood prone areas, or even under bridges, due to the high standards of living. Therefore, this increases the risk of disaster-related fatalities.

The New Normal

Disaster is defined as a sudden occurrence, such as an accident or natural catastrophe that causes great damage or loss of lives. It is said to be the new normal. There are many forms of disasters but typhoons are the most common in the Philippines. According to TIME, an average of 10 typhoons traverses along the Philippines in a year, 8 or 9 of which make landfall and are likely to be destructive.

On December 17, 2011, Typhoon Washi (Sendong) hit Northern Mindanao, claiming at least 1, 249 lives and left approximately 60,000 people homeless. In the following year, Typhoon Bopha (Pablo) ravaged the southern island of Mindanao. More than 300 people were confirmed dead. Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) broke the record of the Philippines’ deadliest typhoons yet. On November 8, 2013, there were 6,193 lives lost, 28, 689 people injured, and 1,061 people missing. These numbers surpassed Typhoon Thelma, which killed more than 5,000 people in 1991. More recently, Typhoon Hagupit (Ruby) had claimed approximately 18 lives on December 8, 2014.

The number of deaths and damages by these incidents has alarmed both the government and private sectors to strengthen their measures for disaster preparedness.

“Prevention is better than cure”

One of the many ways to lessen the number of calamity-related fatalities is the generation of disaster risk maps. Dexter Lo of the Xavier University Engineering Resource Center – together with his partners from the Geoinformatics Center and the Civil Engineering Department of Xavier University – developed flood and fire maps for Barangay Carmen. The researchers chose to study the said area because it is the city’s primer barangay, and also because of its varied geographic landscape.

As of 2010, barangay Carmen has 74, 541 residents, which makes it the most populated barangay in Cagayan de Oro City. It has a total land area of 566, 657 hectares. 1,803 commercial establishments, 15 regional government offices, and 47 educational institutions are established in the said barangay. According to their website, 14, 718 households are distributed to 70 zones. Zones 2, 4, 5, 7, and are prone to flooding since it is located in river bank zones.

The research indicated that zones 2, 5, and 9 were most prone to flooding. These zones are not suitable for occupation anymore. The people living in these areas are the first ones to experience the rising of water levels whenever the river overflows. “Occasional flooding may never be driven away, but disaster risk reduction is possible by either moving the exposed population out from harm’s way or retrofitting weak structures and providing appropriate and efficient infrastructures,” the researchers stated.

Also, the people living below the poverty line needs to be given immediate attention by the government. It is usually the marginalized that are victims of disasters. “[If] more people are able to afford building structurally sound infrastructures, and having the option to avoid slopes and flood-prone areas; in turn, the majority of the community will hopefully have a better share of the promise of truly beneficial sustainable development,” the researchers said in conclusion.

What now?

In the previous years, the local government of barangay Carmen has responded on disasters such as flooding only after it has happened. “Kasagara nga disaster that we face kay flooding man since Carmen is situated sa west side sa Cagayan de Oro river. So everytime mag overflow ang river, mabahaan jud mi. Every time naa’y ing-ana, response ra to amoang ginabuhat sa una like evacuation,” barangay secretary, Sheila Lumbatan said.

The findings of the research have helped the barangay in improving their development plan, particularly in disaster preparedness. They have come up with proactive solutions to address the problems. “The maps guides us kung which area ang una namo i-evacuate. With that tool, it became easier for us unsaon namo ang among response management and sa preparation. If ever mag-declare na ug yellow code, for example, we know asa ang primero namo i-pull out nga mga tao and we know pud which way to go para shorter among route to the evacuation center,” Lumbatan shared.

Non-governmental Organizations such as Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc has also contributed in guiding the local government officials in Carmen, when it comes to materializing their development plans. Lumbatan said, “We partnered with NGOs like Balay Mindanaw Foundation. Actually, relief operations ra na ilaha at first, but they have made their programs more comprehensive. Sila pud ang nag-guide sa amo sa among development plans in terms of preparation, capability building sa among volunteers regarding sa disaster. And not just the volunteers pud but ang community jud para in terms of disaster, they do not just know how to response but to be resilient after.”

When asked if the efforts of the local government is evident, *Cristy, 42, shares, “Maayo na karon kay naa na’y mga programa ang gobyerno sama sa mga seminar mahitungod sa pag-andam sa baha”

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The rapid rise of bigger malls, taller hotels, posh condominiums, and more residential villages opens doors to countless opportunities. It may also mean that more people will be migrating from the provinces to the city. The government then needs to be at par when it comes to addressing problems of this rapid urban development, especially in materializing proactive solutions against disasters.

Sources:

Oro Bulish On Most Competitive Cities Index

(http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/local-news/2014/08/12/oro-bullish-most-competitive-cities-index-359247

SM CDO 2 Set for Late 2015 Opening

(http://www.cdodev.com/2014/07/14/sm-cdo2-set-for-late-2015-opening/)

Urban Development Defined

(http://www.sv.uio.no/iss/english/research/subjects/urban-development/)

Urbanization

(http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/u/urbanization.htm)

Urban Population - Why People Move To Cities

(http://www.english-online.at/geography/world-population/urban-areas.htm)

The Philippines is The Most Storm Exposed Country on Earth