When Water Strikes Back
About this Page
Some experiences we'd like to share when water says, "It's payback time!"...
I live beside a creek
There are people who live beside great malls and sleep in comfy beds every night in their condominiums. There are people who live beside forests and play with animals and hug trees whenever they want. There are people who live beside a river and swim as a daily routine. As for me, I live beside a creek and this is how it goes…
Our home is our safe place. It is the haven for rest and relaxation. My home is almost like that. But there is one problem. My house is located beside a creek. Can you imagine living for 16 years beside a creek? And that means brown, murky, dirty, rushing water that really smells bad sometimes…well, actually most of the time.
When I was a kid I remember eating lots of berries everyday during the summer season. My dad would carry a basket full of ripe, sweet berries. At that time there was a berry tree that grew in the soil of the creek. Back then, there was more land than rushing water. I was very thankful because the berries were really good and the creek didn’t smell bad. Plus, because the soil in the creek was rich- soil and unlimited supply of water, although it was a bit brownish it worked for the trees were the only requirements for the tree to survive. But years later the tree was cut down by someone and the “berry days” ended. I was so disappointed. I don’t know why but since then, the waters in the creek eventually increased until it got higher than usual. The high permanent and it even started to give off bad smell. I remember suffering a fever for quite a while and my mother thought that it must have been caused by the smell of the creek.
Only a few cares
Now, the creek is a disaster. There are big rats and a lot of trash in it. Trees don’t grow in its soil anymore since actually, there is no more soil, just mud. And moss are all the over sides of the creek. To top it off, my neighbors use the creek as sewer. It’s a horrible sight seeing all the human waste go into the poor waters. It eventually caused the increase of population of insects and rodents that live in the creek.
Summer days usually were the best part of the year because when I was little I could feel the wind in my hair and the creek and all its trees provided a cool atmosphere. But now when winds hit our homes the smell is just not right. It could even cause someone to get sick.
There was a time that for community leader paid attention to the worsening creek and they spent thousands of money just to remove all the trash. It took the workmen seven days to complete the task. Then again, months passed and the water returned to its smelly, dirty state again. It was very disappointing knowing that only a few cares for the environment.
What we’re doing
At some days, men wearing office uniforms would go into houses and talk to the neighborhood about the problems of the creek and try to solve the growing chaos. I encouraged my parents to ask the community leader to do something about the bad ways of our neighborhood because aside from it is used as sewer; people also throw garbage into the water causing an excessive rise of the water level when it rains. It is said that the community leader will see to it that everyone around the creek has their own and proper sewerage.
An Open Dumpsite
| This is not such a good view, is it? | Do not let your nearby waters turn out like this. Do something about it. |
I hate FLOOD..
This one particular day on 2008, my best friend & I went strolling at the heart of Makati City. The rain is not pouring hard, so we had the courage to go out. When we were in the shopping mall, we decided to visit an exclusive school which is one ride away. We thought everything would be easy for us, but as soon as we tried boarding a public utility jeepney, the challenge of finding a jeepney that would cross the flood faced us. We didn't know that even light rain makes the streets in that place flood. It is not because of the way the roads are built, it is actually caused by the drainages clogged with all sorts of garbage. Dead roaches were floating & we have to cross the street, it is so gross, but what can we do? If we don't cross the street, we are going to remain stranded for the rest of the time. We crossed the street & our outfits are ruined.
If not for the rain, if not for those clogged drainage full of garbage, that day would have been totally perfect.
See? We neglected stuffs that would soon get back to us. If people around that place knew where to throw their wastes, the flood won't be much of a problem. Learn the lesson; don't just throw anything anywhere so you won't get stuck in that stinky & filthy flood.