Typhoon 'Haiyan' and its effects to the Filipinos

Mental trauma haunts Philippines typhoon survivors

By Martin Abbugao | AFP News – 

Credits: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/mental-trauma-haunts-philippines-typhoon-survivors-082524641.html

Rodico Basilides visits a forlorn cross that stands as a memorial to his family who died in the catastrophic Philippine typhoon, one of countless survivors who are being forced to grieve without professional counselling.

“This is for my wife, Gladys, and four children. They were swept away by the waves,” Basilides, 42, said as he stood alongside the cross made of two sticks tied together with green string on the floor of what used to be his seaside home.

As Basilides, a mini-bus driver, left the rain-soaked ruins, he met Jovelyn Taniega, a friend who lost her husband and six children when Super Typhoon Haiyan smashed the central Philippines with unprecedented ferocity on November 8.

Taniega, 39, still looking to be in a state of shock, had also returned to the spot where her family was swept away in giant storm surges, trying to find some solace by being close to where she last touched them.

“I'm alone now. It's very painful, I miss my family a lot,” she said, shielding herself from the rain with an umbrella. “I feel like I'm going crazy.”

As the rescue and emergency phase of helping the survivors winds down, medical and social workers are appealing for trauma experts to counsel typhoon survivors such as Taniega and Basilides.

But like all other aspects of the response to the disaster, the scale of the psychological needs is overwhelming.

More than 5,200 people have been confirmed killed and another 1,600 are missing after Haiyan tore across some of the country's poorest islands, generating tsunami-like waves that left dozens of towns in ruins.

About four million people have been left homeless and 10 million affected, according to the government.

Too few experts for giant task

Amid such widespread mental trauma, the Department of Health has been able to deploy just 21 psychiatrists and psychologists, according to Bernardo Vicente, director of the government's National Center for Mental Health.

"Definitely, we don't," Vicente told AFP when asked if there were enough professional counsellors available to treat traumatised survivors in the disaster zones.

Vicente pointed out there were just 600 registered psychiatrists nationwide, most of whom worked in large city hospitals and unable to abandon their duties to help the typhoon survivors.

He said the health department's counsellors had worked only in Tacloban, a city of more than 220,000 people that was among the worst hit and where 1,727 people have been confirmed killed.

Health workers in Tacloban say that support is not nearly enough, and the needs will likely grow as the focus of survivors shifts from putting up makeshift shelters and looking for food.

"Yes, we need psychiatrists to come and help," said Marife Garfin, chief nurse of the Bethany Hospital in Tacloban.

"At the moment they (survivors) are not able yet to process the whole experience. We are still in the process of being able to fend for ourselves and survive, get some food, get some treatment.

"But probably after a week or two, everything will sink in, everything will come to mind -- the loss, the separation from loved ones."

Not all traumatised people require intensive psychological counselling, Vicente emphasised.

"There are things you can do which do not require highly trained individuals," he said.

"Simply providing hope is enough for the community... simply providing food, lifting them up and asking: 'how are you?' or giving them a pack of noodles, is already psychological first aid."

Vicente also said counselling need not just be one-to-one, and trauma experts would be able to work with big groups of people.

In the long run, Vicente said between one and five percent of survivors would likely develop post-traumatic stress disorder, which required specialised treatment from experts.

Mathijs Hoogstad, a psychologist with humanitarian group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders) in Tacloban, also said survivors would be able to get important support from within their communities.

Speaking with family, friends and church figures would help survivors overcome their traumatic experiences, Hoogstad said.

'I see them in my dreams'

For people such as Basilides and Taniega, who live on the outskirts of Tacloban, family and community support are indeed proving vital in helping them cope with their tragedies.

Basilides is living with a local official who has taken in him and his survivor son, nine-year-old Jack Ross. The son had been found clinging to a piece of wood and brought to an evacuation centre.

Basilides said mixing with people helped him forget the pain, and praying offered some comfort.

But he said that, in his moments of solitude, the gripping scenes of how the strong current ripped two of his children from his arms, and the sight of his wife and other children being carried off, kept replaying in his mind.

Taniega, who now lives with her father and a brother, also said speaking with friends allowed her to momentarily escape the torment.

She is also taking pills to help her sleep, but it was in those times of rest that she most clearly saw her lost husband and children.

"That's my only connection to them. I see in my dreams our happy times," she said.

"Sometimes my husband shows himself to me in a dream and I tell him: 'Oh you're still alive.' He'll call me by my nickname and my children will call me: 'Mamma.' They are laughing as they hug me."

Davao City Watersheds= water + wildlife : Treasures to be vaulted...

Watersheds, our treasures

THAT our city can still boast of biodiversity that other cities have long lost is a pride our generation and the future generations can hold dear, but only for as long as each preceding generation takes care of it for the next generation to enjoy.

This is apparent in the biodiversity found in the Talomo-Lipadas and Panigan-Tamugan watersheds in a study conducted by the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) as commissioned by the Interface Development Interventions Inc. last year.

A draft of the report has already been made although the final copy will still be launched on March 23 in time for the Watershed Summit initiated by Idis in Davao City.

The study, a Resource and Socio-Economic Assessment (RSEA) of the two major watersheds, saw biologists and student volunteers living in the forests for weeks on end to trap and inventory bats, birds, frogs, and rodents, the key indicators of an area’s biodiversity.

As gleaned from past and the most field studies, the watersheds have at least 124 species of birds at Mt. Talomo and Panigan between 1997-2012.
“Sixty six (or 53 percent) of these birds are Philippine endemic, which is 40 percent of the country's total for endemic birds (169 species). However, if we consider only the Mindanao Island’s share of Phil endemic species (94), the watersheds contain an impressive 70 percent of these. Also, over half (24) of the 45 Mindanao endemic species are living in the watersheds,” the draft report reads.

The same diversity is observed in mammals, particularly rodents and bats.
As the report said, six out of the nine Mindanao endemic mammals at Mt. Sicao still in the Talomo-Lipadas watershed are rats and squirrels.

A total of eight species in two families of bats were found --Pteropodidae (fruit-eating bats) and the Rhinolopidae (insect-eating bats). Of these, seven Genera were documented.

“All except one (bats) are Philippine endemic, with a single species restricted only to Mindanao. Called Mindanao fruit bat Megaerops wetmorei,” the draft report reads. “It is the most common species captured in nets (6 individuals) at the Dipterocarp Forest next to the Short-nose fruit bat Cynopterus brachyotis (8). The Mindanao fruit bat is the only IUCN threatened bat species sampled at Sicao. It is classified under the vulnerable category mainly because its preferred habitat, the Dipterocarp Forest, is slowly disappearing.

The disappearing forest is what distresses PEF Executive Director Dennis Joseph I. Salvador the most. After all, their work to conserve the Philippine Eagle requires that the whole ecosystem is conserved to sustain the life cycle of eagles.

But moreso, the PEF has reapeatedly said, the Philippine Eagle is but the barometer of the sustainability of our environment, as it requires lush green forests that are home to healthy forest creatures to survive in the wild. In the same way that everyone requires a lush, green watershed to continue providing the clean and clear water Dabawenyos continue to enjoy straight out of their faucets.

“If water is life, a watershed is the vault (or safe or treasure chest) that holds this very valuable resource together and keeps it from being wasted. It is an asset passed on to us by our parents and which we need to pass on to our children as capital for their future - that's what a watershed is,” Salvador said when asked to define the importance of watersheds to Davao City.

That is why both Salvador and IDIS executive director Ann Fuertes are relieved that the Talomo-Lipadas and Panigan-Tamugan watersheds are still healthy although threatened.

“Guapo pud nga daghan na makita na endemic species (It’s also heartening to know that there are many endemic species thriving there),” Fuertes told Sun.Star Davao.

Davao’s Watersheds

Davao City has eight watershed areas straddled by its major rivers aside from the biggest of them all, the Davao River. These are: Sibulan River, Lipadas River, Talomo River, Tamugan River, Cugan River, Suawawan River, Matina River, and Bunawan River.

The Tamugan-Lipadas and Tamugan-Panigan are of prime importance because these have been identified as Davao’s main water sources and comprises the first phase of watershed delineation by the city government. Thus, the focus on the two watersheds.

As described, Talomo-Lipadas include two catchment rivers covering a total land area 38,300 hectares made up of 45 of the city’s 182 barangays. The highest peak is Mt. Talomo, which is at the northeastern region of Mt. Apo Natural Park.

Predominantly volcanic rocks, the watershed has slopes and ravines and vegetation are primary and secondary forest, but only in the headwaters.
Lowland dipterocarp forests are now relegated to ravines and riverways after the long decades of logging.

There are no more forest stands in the lowland areas as there have already been converted to plantations and agriculture.

On the other hand, Tamugan-Panigan has several catchment areas although the only large water basin here is the Tamugan River. The Tamugan River and the other tributaries all drain directly to the Davao River. The Tamugan-Panigan covers 18,830 hectares.

It’s highest elevation is at the headwaters of Laling Creek at 1,889 meters above sea level (masl), while its most prominent peak is Mt. Tipolog, with 1,340 m elevation.

Threatened

But as the report says, the biodiversity is threatened because Dipterocarp Forests are slowly disappearing. Along with it, Davao’s water.

“We have very clean and abundant water supply in Davao because of our aquifers and watersheds have retained their integrity and quality. The Talomo and Tamugan watersheds, for instance, still harbors a good number of different threatened species. These watersheds exhibit a very high degree of species endemism: 82 percent for mammals, 68 percent for reptiles and amphibians, and 53 percent for birds,” Salvador said.

“Some of the frogs we found in a recent study commissioned by IDIS were ‘undescribed’ and may even be new species. Frogs are excellent indicators of environmental health as they are highly localized and very sensitive to changes in their environments. But the integrity of our watersheds are beginning to fray at its edges,” he added.

Still Fuertes is upbeat on major steps ahead with the completion of the study, as in it, they can present to the city government solid scientific proofs of what has to be conserved and preserved.

“Dugang ni nga argument to do more efforts for the conservation of the eight watersheds (This study contributes to the assertion that there’s a need to do more for the conservation of the eight watersheds),” Fuerte said.

Idis, incidentally, is the non-government organization member of the Watershed Management Council, which was created from the passage of the Watershed Code of Davao City.

The WMC, which meets at least once a month, already gathered the commitment of 40 barangays within the two watersheds to clear their riverbanks of habitation and ensure that buffer zones are respected and that no future habitation will be put up along riverbanks.
The barangays that committed, however, still have to make true this promise.

As of October 2012, the City Environment and Natural Resources Office had set aside P1.6-million for delineation of the six watershed areas; which will also be used as a tool to define which activities are allowed and which are prohibited within these areas.

The first phase was to start November 5 and should have been finished by now, although no such report has yet been disclosed.

The total amount needed to delineate all eight is pegged at P5-million.
While non-government groups are still struggling to paint a convincing picture for government to act fast on conserving its watersheds, human population is fast encroaching.

“The average rates by which population is increasing indicate that human occupation of the watersheds is growing rapidly. Using NSO data for example, the number of people living inside the watersheds appeared to have increased to nearly three folds (260 percent) from 1970 to 2010 with an average annual growth rate of 3.25 percent. This also means an increase in human density from 2 persons/ha in 1970 to 7 persons/ha in 2010,” the draft report reads.

Of note is the rapid growth in population of five communities close to the forests: Barangays Eden, Daliao Plantation, Tamayong, Carmen and Tambobong.

“The Davao City Watershed Code is a positive step in mitigating the adverse impacts of humans on our watersheds. This, however, needs more teeth and funding to really work. For instance, it is silent on the matter of private water wells used in or for business/profit.It is, after all, water owned by the State (read: ours) and re-packaged and sold to us in a different form. These outfits basically drain our aquifers for free. We have just taken our water resource for granted. Not even our local utility company invests enough on protecting and restoring these watersheds,” Salvador said, somehow repeating what has been said before but which seems to be not getting its due attention and quick action.
In the meantime, elections is just around the corner again, and Fuertes fears that what has been started will not even be carried over.
Through the short three years that Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio has served, she stood strongly for the protection of the environment, bar none.

Vice Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte as mayor may have ruled for the environment several times but has also been known to yield to some issues as well.
This is among the reason why Idis has initiated the Watershed Summit to ensure that what has been agreed on and drafted as concrete actions under the Watershed Code will be implemented.

“We need an assurance na kung unsa ang nahitabo karon, mapadayon sa next eladership (We have to get that assurance that what has been achieved to-date will be continued under the next leadership),” Fuertes said.

“Indeed, it is convenient to attribute floods as acts of God rather than the work of men. In time, we'll get a lot of water when we don't need it and none when we need it. It's not doomsday prepper talk, it's just what it is,” Salvador said.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/weekend-davao/2013/02/09/watersheds-our-treasures-267379

Davao City Water Scarcity

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – As both the national and city governments are looking for solutions to address the worsening power problem, another disaster looms in the horizon.

According to the Davao City Waster District (DCWD), the city could experience a potable water shortage by 2015 if it does not get the fiscal and policy support to expand its services and boost its ability to sustain these services.

In a briefing yesterday at the DCWD head office in Matina district this city, community relations and external affairs officer Imelda Magsuci admitted that they would not be able to meet the 3.24 percent annual demand growth for potable water in the city without financial support and new loans.

“Without the support, we would not be able to extend 24-hour service in existing service areas. We would not be able to expand to new service areas as well as maintain and develop existing and new resources,” Magsuci said.

Based on its 2011-2018 Medium Term Development Plan, the DCWD needs P11 billion to P15 billion to meet existing demand and expand services and resources.

This year alone, the water district needs P1.2 billion.

DCWD corporate planning manager Ariel Noble said P8.48 billion of the amount would be used to develop and maintain surface water sources.

“Davao City cannot rely solely on underground sources as the danger of salination is real, while Davao has a large potential source of surface water,” he said.

Noble added that not only is the problem one of resources but preserving these resources. On the average, the water district is plagued by a little over 25 percent non-revenue water (NRW).

The Local Water Utilities Administration requires a NRW rate of only 15 percent. NRW is water in the system lost or wasted due to leaks, illegal connections and other factors.

The projected daily demand has grown from 257,000 cubic meters last year to 261,832 cubic meters this year. By 2015, the daily demand is projected to increase by a minimum 283,2372 cubic meters.

Last year alone, the water district already noted a deficit of 47,982 cubic meters, which is projected to increase to 59,198 cubic meters this year.

Davao is the third-largest urban area in the country and the economic center of southern Philippines. It has a population of 1.52 million, which is expected to grow to 2.5 million by 2030.

The DCWD serves 59 percent or 901,525 of the city’s total population. Without expansion, its raw water capacity is sufficient to supply only 43 percent of the city’s population by 2030.

The DCWD has developed eight independent water systems, including 49 production wells, and installed 1,430 kilometers of pipelines. It already has 180,000 active service connections in 108 barangays.

A $2.2-million technical assistance was granted by the French government, through the Asian Development Bank, to help DCWD (along with the Metro Cebu Water District) expand its coverage of continuous water supply to 80 percent of the population by 2022, and access to hygienic sanitation to 50 percent of city residents from the current 10 percent. - By Ted Torres (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/lack-potable-water-looms-davao-city-180116366.html