The City of Manila placed second among the cities in 197 countries that face the highest exposure to adverse impact of climate change, a study of a United Kingdom-based risk consultancy group showed.
Based on the Climate Change Vulnerability Index 2013 posted by Verisk Maplecroft, Manila followed the City of Dhaka in Bangladesh that topped the list of high-risk cities in face of earthquakes, fires and typhoons.
Maplecroft combined the research data on risks posed by tropical storms and cyclones, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, severe storms, extra-tropical cyclones, wildfires, storm surges, volcanic eruptions and landslides in more than 1,300 cities.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change also cited Manila as well as more than 100 other localities in high-risk tropical and subtropical regions that are most vulnerable and can expect to be battered by tidal surges, stronger typhoons and storms, and hit by deeper droughts.
The Philippine Office of Washington’s Climate Institute, on the other hand, stated that climate change would bring ill-health and water rationing to cities such as Manila and Cebu, along with rise in intestinal and mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis and chikungunya fever, as well as other ailments.
These alarming information were presented by Maria Isabel Lanada of the Center for Social Concern and Action of the De La Salle University, who was tapped by the city government of Manila for the disaster preparedness trainings.
Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada said the Quick Response Groups are slated to present and demonstrate the use of basic survival tools for ordinary families such as the “go-timba (recycled containers), sand-in-a-sack and the paracord survival bracelet.”
Estrada underscored the importance of preparedness and the need for the people to be taught how to deal with disasters because “lives, above anything else, matter.”