The Candaba wetlands in the Philippines are a hidden gem located at the intersection of Pampanga, Bulacan, and Nueva Ecija within the Pampanga River Basin. Spanning 32,000 hectares, these wetlands consist of ponds, swamps, marshes, and grasslands. The land use in the area is dictated by seasonal shifts, from rice and crop planting to serving as a natural flood retention basin during rainy months. For birdwatchers and nature lovers, the wetlands offer a vibrant experience with its diverse range of avian species.
Efforts to protect the avian diversity in the area have led to the declaration of Candaba as a bird sanctuary and the establishment of the Candaba Swamp Wildlife Reserve. However, due to the frequent floods in the provinces of Pampanga and Bulacan, there is a proposal to transform a part of the Candaba wetlands into a floodwater impounding area. While it is understandable to mitigate flooding, the environmental impact of such an intervention cannot be underestimated.
The eruption of Mount Pinatubo has disrupted the hydrology of the region and is arguably the main cause of the large-scale flooding in Pampanga and Bulacan. Adding to the challenges is the impact of climate change, which exacerbates the flooding problem. Despite infrastructure projects aimed at addressing flooding, such as floodways and protective dikes, they have proven to be ineffective.
Initially, the main threat to the Candaba wetlands was the proposal to drain and convert the area for extensive agriculture. However, with floods becoming the primary problem, the threat now is the submergence of a portion of the wetlands as a floodwater impounding area. This proposed infrastructural project is daunting, with a 200-hectare impounding area requiring an eight-kilometer retaining wall. The cost of such a project would be significant, and it may not yield the expected flood reduction impact.
To make the impounding area effective, measures need to be taken to ensure that it does not absorb water from the Pampanga River. This means that the riparian towns of Bulacan and Pampanga, which are prone to flooding, must be sealed off from the river. Additionally, floodwater would need to be pumped into the impounding area.
President Marcos has ordered an extensive study on the proposed construction of a floodwater impounding system in the Candaba wetlands as a long-term solution to the flooding problem. However, it is important to consider all possible options that take into account environmental, economic, technological, sociocultural, and political aspects. A larger, landscape-scale study is necessary.
Looking at the experiences of other countries, such as Japan’s Sendai River basin, it is evident that infrastructure projects can have unforeseen consequences. Therefore, non-hard infrastructure options should also be considered, such as rehabilitating the Pampanga River Basin’s watershed and planting native species for riparian stabilization. Utilizing flood-tolerant crop cultivars, like the scuba rice developed by the International Rice Research Institute, can also revitalize agriculture in wetlands like Candaba. These strategies would eliminate the need for intrusive reclamation measures and excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides.
To achieve a long-term, sustainable solution, the President should be open to other policy alternatives. This would allow the Pampanga River Basin and the Candaba wetlands to become a potential model for ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. By combining infrastructure and non-infrastructure measures, we can preserve biodiversity and leverage the benefits of wetland ecosystem services.
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