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MANILA – Quezon City is among the top 40 Asian cities that are vulnerable to inland flooding, the Asian Development Bank said on Wednesday.
In a study, the Manila-based lender said more than 10 million Filipinos in urban areas are vulnerable to coastal and inland flooding.
Of this total number, 3.71 million are at risk of inland floods and 6.81 million of coastal floods.
The ADB estimates that 20 percent of Quezon City’s population – or some 2.9 million residents – are vulnerable to inland flooding.
The Philippines ranked fourth among Southeast Asian countries with the most number of urban residents vulnerable to flooding.
Indonesia topped the list with 27.09 million residents, followed by Vietnam, 19.58 million; and Thailand, 18.54 million.
"The size of population affected by flooding risks in Asia is enormous," the ADB said. It said more than 303 million Asian urbanites at risk of coastal flooding in 2010, with the number seen to rise to 410 million in 2025.
"While it isn’t possible to predict the damage such floods will do to property or to predict the loss of life, poor cities will face greater challenges than rich ones in adapting to this new reality," the ADB said.
Unless managed properly, these trends could lead to widespread environmental degradation and declining standards of living, the lender said.
The ADB however sees hope: "The growth of cities can have many advantages, including critical masses of people in relatively small areas, making it easier and more cost effective to supply essential services like piped water and sanitation. Rising education levels, factories leaving cities, the growth of middle classes and declining birth rates typically associated with urbanization also have a broadly beneficial impact on resource use and the environment.”
The lender said conservation and efficiency improvements will help.
"Many countries have begun diversifying their energy sources to include renewables and have been investing in energy-efficient buildings and sustainable transport systems. Imposing congestion and emission charges, as in Singapore, and removing inefficient fuel subsidies, as in Indonesia, can make prices more fully reflect social costs. But the report says much more is needed, including the development and mainstreaming of new green technologies," the ADB said.
Early examples are smart energy grids and waste-to-energy conversion plants, such as those seen in the Philippines and Thailand.
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