Socio-Cultural Perception on the Flood Control Projects based on their Consistency in aligning with the Philippine Agenda 21 Principles of Efficiency, Sufficiency, Consistency, and Precaution

Figure 01, Flood Control Construction (crafted image, rvgomeseria)

In most of the vacant time, the author watched almost Flood Control Projects done in the Philippines via YouTube of all the accomplishments made in the previous administration, which would like to highlight is the Flood Control Project done in Barangay Buluang, Compostela, Cebu. The project has been documented and uploaded on YouTube in series from the beginning and up to the finishing stage of the construction as well as their experiences when the heavy rains came to the areas. A probable assessment might need to look at it on how the construction being constructed, and as usual, every Filipinos knows the systematic scenario in the Philippine construction. However, the author is inviting the audience to have a look and watch the given links for comments as follows;

Flood Control Part 1, Barangay Buluang, Compostela, Cebu, Philippines; December 22, 2015

A nearby stream turns into a raging torrent during the periods of heavy rain, and the water flows over the road as well as into the farms and homes. And for about 6 weeks ago based on the video, they notice some laborers started working on the flood control channel for them to move the water away from their homes and farmland. The work has happened in a short walk away from their houses, so, for them, was easy to capture most of the working process and continued for another few weeks. The channel was more than a hundred meters long, more than 2 meters deep and about 3 meters wide to be used in the process.

Flood Control Part 2, Barangay Buluang, Compostela, Cebu, Philippines; February 2, 2016

The second part of the flood control project was to build a bridge over the flood control channel as they did in Part 1 as discussed above. However, the changes have made with the old road to be removed and as a temporary bridge that had been placed on the said area as well.

Flood Control Part 3, Barangay Buluang, Compostela, Cebu, Philippines; January 15, 2017

Since the flood control channel was completed, however, there was unusually dry weather has taken place. And in the past 2 weeks, heavy rains came following with the light rains for several consecutive day's experiences. With those changes in the weather had tested the effectiveness of the channel as directed into the water away from the nearby homes and farms of the said area.

Flood Control Part 4, Barangay Buluang, Compostela, Cebu, Philippines; April 19, 2017

Heavy rain over the Easter weekend overwhelmed the recently built flood control channel, and many of their homes, farms, and businesses were underwater. The worst thing that ever happened was the two-light-duty bridges being built over the channel had been destructed and washed away after the last flood held whereas the rainwater flowed in the lowest area between the mountains and the coast, and some other parts of Cebu, there were 9 people died as a result of the flood.

Methodological Discussion

Moreover, with all the scenarios that the author viewed on how the Flood Control Project had been done, let us define and assess the situational work process with the given series of construction on the way that applies the principles of Efficiency, Sufficiency, Consistency, and Precaution based on the Philippine Agenda 21 requirement whether sustainable to the environment or not with the followings:

Efficiency

In Flood Control, Part 1 shows how they work it but the author really doesn’t know how efficient the design was. As far as engineering methodology, that should be designed according to the requirement of a realistic data that will save the people living there, the environment that will suit to the community and the socio-cultural intervention for the satisfaction of individual need.

Because they are dealing with the environment, the designer should have correct data of concrete evidence that will be the basis in designing DIKE. As an Engineer by profession, in order to meet the sustainable criteria that suits the requirement, you need to have an Environmental Impact Assessment that should be adhered prior to the construction; soil investigation and geotechnical investigation needs to be considered; and the water flow level requirement where the water current, water pressure, and the water velocity are the means criterion of designing DIKES. As well as the basin where the water will be discharged, that should be carefully considered in sustaining the requirement of the volume of water in the prevention of flood especially on the mentioned area in designing water flow according to the normal current that will directly discharge to the lake or sea. 

How efficient the construction was? In the author’s assessment, that was sad to say of misstep because their working methodology doesn’t comply with the prevailing codes and standards of practice in the prevention of flood control considering the environmental aspects from the local authority having jurisdiction as far as the geographical requirement is concerned. The capital costs that have been invested for the project were diddly but shriveled for all the efforts, money and labor. The Flood Control Part 4 showed clearly that the constructed DIKE and the BRIDGE will no longer last as expected and that will be spoiled somehow and will never be efficient at all. Thereby, whenever the flood will come for instance, still the community will be experiencing the same as they have experienced before and the scenario will become more worst as expected in the coming future.

Sufficiency

But to be honest, how sufficient the construction was, the author really doesn’t know. But if you are referring to the video being presented on how do they work on Part 1 scene. The author would say, that was a shred of nuisance evidence and simply unsatisfied overall and if you are referring to the Flood Control Part 4 scene, a justification must be presented to prove how stronger the constructed DIKE and the BRIDGE in protecting the community, and that can be done through natural commissioning whenever the calamity might happening. However, that will be a shred of clear evidence, in the sense that the video shows how the constructed DIKE and the BRIDGE might ravage.

Moreover, the constructed DIKE and the BRIDGE might collapse structurally due to the scenario whereas the volume of water exceeds the design height as expected without even considering the worst-case scenario that might happen over the height of the DIKE and the BRIDGE. And that is the negative impact and evidence that they don’t even have enough information or a concrete feasibility study that will secure the design of DIKE and the BRIDGE capable of controlling the flood. 

Through the shreds of evidence at glance, the design of DIKE and the BRIDGE are not sufficient in the prevention or controlling flood in the area based on the documented video as the author has already mentioned that the way they design and if not mistaken, flood control was not in compliance with the prevailing codes and standards of practice. However, based on the observation with the videos repudiate, still, there are no sufficient data yet on how they gathered the design as the way they constructed but further shreds of evidence to conclude with full of justifications to bring.

The author knows and understand that most of our engineers on the field can do the work sufficient for the requirement according to the codes and a standard of practice so that the design quality issues must be addressed during from the concept design, schematic design, detailed design, and tender/implementation; but because of graft and corruption practices that ever happening in the country, the necessary materials to make it completely strong will becomes sub-standards that are usually happening for the corrupted mind of politicians and contractors, and therefore the integrity of being an engineer will loose like a garbage in a bin. Maybe, as a benefit of the doubt, the author might say that they don’t even give them the importance of the design that supposed to be as well as the implication to the environment that must be addressed thereof. But working without vision in protecting the community is just wasting money at all, and if only to show that the project has been constructed, fatal occurrence might happen soon.

In reality, the shreds of evidence, however, might be true but as far as sufficiency is concerned, that bothers and will affect the socio-cultural perspective of the environment towards sustainability whereas the community might suffer, and again, devastation for the community might destruct.

Consistency

As far as the construction consistency is concerned, the author may say YES, in the sense of the way they contracted the flood control DIKE and the BRIDGE, deploying laborer as part of resource planning management, and the hours they worked for the project to complete within the timeframe.

Design consistency? However, the author would say NO. That was obvious on what they did and how they work as shown in the video series for the Flood Control Part 1 to Part 4. Again, the conformity of the design objective doesn’t comply with the prevailing codes and standards of practice in the prevention of flood control projects inconsiderably of the environmental requirements in the locality.

If ever they have feasibility studies, the environmental impact assessment in considering the factual based on how the soil investigation and geotechnical investigation must be incorporated and that needs to be addressed thereof not only in the design work but also in the implementation without compromising the use of sub-standard materials. Moreover, the water flows of the said level requirement whereas the water current is an essential factor to be considered, water pressure, and the water velocity are the means criterion of designing DIKES. However, the author might conclude that the Flood Control Part 4 video as shreds of evidence that the constructed DIKE and the BRIDGE will not support in protecting the community sustainably and that will spoil and last in due course.

Precaution

With the socio-cultural perspective of the environment, the construction of DIKE and the BRIDGE in the area will be no longer SAFE for the community. And if their mindset that through constructed DIKE and the BRIDGE will save and protect them for whatever flood or calamities may come, the author will say NO. And again, the constructed DIKE and the BRIDGE will collapse structurally because the volume of water exceeds the design height of the DIKE and the BRIDGE. Therefore, the constructed project will never be efficient anymore but will harm the community anytime whenever the flood will come in, and still, the community will be experiencing the same as they have before.

Conclusion

In environmental engineering practice, a comprehensive study shall be initiated securely in order to meet the given criterion sustainably that might suit the requirement with the correct procedure and international compliance of the prevailing codes and standards of practice. And with the socio-cultural perspective in the environment of the given scenario, however, the vision will flounder in the construction of DIKE and the BRIDGE in the sense that the design and construction methodology as well as constructing with the use of sub-standard materials are unacceptable and hence, that will be no longer SAFE for the community and the tragic experience they have had before will repeat again.

The Flood Control videos series are the concrete shreds of evidence of wasting money and lack of competency on how the constructed DIKE and the BRIDGE be efficient for the community and there are no other facts or data sufficient and consistency that will prove and will benefit the community in the area. Therefore, environmental management in securing sustainable development must be addressed for the community needs. The strategic management is very poor at all angles and sections whenever you look at it and so shameful to have that kind of video documentation whereas the values and desires are unacceptable and can be concluded as the worst project.

On the other side, as far as the Philippine Agenda 21 and the Earth Summit is concerned, the only thing we need is to be efficient for the works we need to accomplish, sufficient information on how we can achieve the goals we are eyeing for and be consistent in accordance with the prevailing codes and standards of practice whereas they all are available in hand. The only precaution we need to evaluate for whatever projects being developed is the political agenda which might cause devaluation due to graft and corruption as we have always in the Philippine, and that was very SAD things ever happened as we are experiencing from Aquino to Aquino administrations.

Moreover, as a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) oath to love for the environment whereas always in the author’s mind that, “Sustainable development is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” and hence, must be applied it accordingly.