HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPEVINE: OUR NEW ABNORMAL
Ever since the aerial photographs of the ongoing Manila Bay reclamation spread on social media earlier in the year, reclamation has been one of the negative buzzwords of today. And to be quite honest, I both understood, and didn’t understand, what all the negativity was about. Understood because there is the knee-jerk reaction to say reclamation is bad for the environment. Didn’t understand because it’s not like the said reclamation happened overnight – it would have taken years of planning and securing LGU approval; and this is not the first time that reclamation projects have been undertaken in our fair city.
I’m old enough to remember when all of the bay city of today didn’t exist at all. I even recall how unverified reports of areas leaking and sinking swirled, and became hot topics of discussion/fake news back then. And yet, look at us today, and how we take the whole Mall of Asia to Solaire, the Ayala Mall Manila Bay, City of Dreams, and Okada areas as regular places to work, to visit, and to spend countless weekend hours. It’s opened up a whole new range of options on how to enjoy Metro Manila; and this bay city of Manila, Parañaque, and Pasay, is now taken for granted as part of our urban landscape.
A colorized photo that shows reclamation work on then-named Cavite Boulevard, circa 1910. And present-day Roxas Boulevard. (Adventure Manila FB page)
To put things further in perspective, how many of you realize that Roxas Boulevard itself is a reclamation project dating back to when the USA occupied us as a colony? Reclamation was already popular then, and it was Architect Daniel Burnham, when visiting our country in 1905, who designed the plans at the request of Commissioner William Forbes, as part of their city beautiful trend.
So, I am aware of the possible repercussions dredging and reclamation can have on the environment. But there is responsible reclamation, and irresponsible reclamation. Responsible reclamation goes on all over the globe.
My favorite city in Japan is Osaka, and whenever we land at the Kansai International Airport, I’m impressed by how the bustling airport is located on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay. It opened in September of 1994, and in 2020, received Skytrax’s awards for World’s Best Airport Staff, and World’s Best Airport for Baggage Delivery.
Hong Kong is back in business, and it’s good to be reminded that the wonderful Hong Kong International Airport is built on reclaimed land on the island of Chek Lap Kok. It was inaugurated in July 1998, and we all know about its proximity to Hong Kong Disneyland - which itself is built on reclaimed land. The airport is one of the world’s largest trans-shipment centers, passenger hubs, and gateways. It’s an important contributor to HK’s economy, with 65,000 employees, already handling 68.5 million passengers back in 2015.
The Hong Kong International Airport, a reclamation project, which began operations in 1998. (Photo is by Google Earth, 2010)
In Singapore, a major reclamation project that began in 1966, was carried out in seven phases over 30 years, culminated in the creation of Marina Bay in the mid-2000’s. Changi Airport of Singapore also credits reclamation for its existence. I’m not that much of a regular traveler to Singapore, but I’ve used the airport and spent days in Marina Bay, blissfully unaware of its reclamation provenance.
Perhaps most well-known for reclamation projects is Dubai; as the Burj Al Arab, the Dubai Marina, the Palm Islands, and the World Islands, are all standing on reclaimed land. The Burj, built on a man-made island was started in 1994, and took five years to complete. Most of the other projects occurred in the last 15 years.
One of the reasons so many are ready to rail against reclamation is to say it results in flooding. My daily commute is from Makati to the Manila Bulletin office at Intramuros. And can I just say that during the rainy season or when typhoons hit us, while Roxas Boulevard from Luneta to the CCP area would be flooded and require careful driving on single lanes; the stretch of Roxas Boulevard from the corner of Gil Puyat to EDSA would be fine. In fact, when driving within the MOA area, or on to City of Dreams to take the Skyway, it’ll be clear driving.
So I’d surmise that newer technology, higher sea walls, better drainage systems, and efficient garbage disposal within the MOA area, all contribute to it being relatively flood free, even during the worst of storms. Flooding is more often caused by clogged sewage, and that we know, is a problem even when far from reclaimed land. For me, it’s dangerous, and the height of ignorance, to just pronounce unequivocally that reclaimed areas are more prone to flooding.