Bulacan’s nature-based flood defense eyed as global model

CITY OF MALOLOS, BULACAN, Philippines — A coastal protection project that combines Dutch water-management expertise with the indigenous knowledge of a coastal community in this city is drawing interest from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and European countries as a potential model for addressing tidal flooding, land subsidence and other effects of climate change.

Nearly 100 delegates from Asean and European countries visited the Nature-based Solutions (NbS) coastal protection project in the island village of Pamarawan during a three-day cross-learning program held Sept. 28 to Sept. 30.

The program, themed “Beyond the Risk: Strategic Choices for Climate Change Resilient Countries in Asean,” brought together delegates from the Netherlands, Cambodia, Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Asean member states, including representatives of the Asean Secretariat. The Dutch ambassador to the Philippines also joined the visit, according to Malolos Mayor Christian Natividad.

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The Pamarawan NbS project covers about 14 hectares of coastline and shoreline defenses along Manila Bay. It uses locally available and discarded materials, including oyster shells, bamboo and coconut shells, to help protect the community from tidal waters and storm surges.

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READ: Green groups: Ditch flood control projects for nature-based solutions

Natividad said the project grew out of an initial North Manila Bay Flood Protection Strategy study conducted by Dutch water-management firm Royal HaskoningDHV, which was tapped by the city government to develop the project’s detailed engineering design.

The project is considered the Philippines’ first large-scale NbS initiative of its kind, according to the city government.

Pamarawan, an island barangay adjacent to Manila Bay, can only be reached by boat.

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Cross-learning program

Natividad noted the cross-learning program was conceptualized by Asean and European leaders during the International Water Week in Singapore in August. The program aims to allow participating countries to study the Malolos project and explore how similar approaches could be adapted to their own coastal communities.

But while the project draws on international expertise, Natividad said much of its implementation relies on the indigenous knowledge and labor of Pamarawan residents.

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“It is our people in Pamarawan who build all these,” Natividad told the Inquirer.

He said the project seeks to restore shorelines that had been damaged by tidal waters and strong storm surges.

“There were sea walls and dikes that were constructed by the government, but these were wrecked,” Natividad added, attributing the worsening flooding problem to what he described as corruption, substandard materials and so-called ghost projects.

Unlike conventional “gray” infrastructure such as concrete seawalls, dikes and floodwalls, the project uses natural materials to work with the environment.

“This is a green project. This is Malolos’ way of trying to solve its tidal and fluvial problems without the use of concrete and cement. We are building with nature, not against nature,” Natividad shared.

The project’s breakwaters, made partly from discarded oyster shells and bamboo, are designed to reduce the force of waves and tidal surges from Manila Bay while trapping sediments and debris carried downstream.

Climate change

Natividad said flooding in the area has been aggravated by rising sea levels due to climate change and the continued sinking of land.

While concrete dikes and walls can cost billions of pesos, he said, mangroves and bamboo can continue to grow even as land subsidence and sea-level rise persist.

The trapped sediments are expected to gradually raise the elevation of the shoreline and create conditions favorable for mangrove growth.

The city government has allocated P70 million for the project, which began construction in 2024 and is targeted for completion this year.

Natividad said the project could serve as Malolos’ contribution to global efforts to address tidal flooding, land subsidence and other environmental challenges associated with climate change.

“Even international communities want to adapt our Nature-based Solution project. It was first recognized in the international scene. It has been known in Malolos, then later in other towns and cities in our province and now, at the national level,” he noted.

Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon cited the Malolos NbS project as one of the flood-mitigation initiatives that the agency is considering for other coastal communities during a meeting with Bulacan officials on Sept. 18.

Dizon also visited the Pamarawan project on Sept. 29.

Natividad said Malolos hopes to share its approach with other coastal communities across the country.

“We are an archipelago. We will restore nature as part of the solution. Imagine if the entire country will be greened through this project. We have already restored the elevation of our shoreline and our coastal areas because of the mangroves,” he stated.

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He added, however, that materials used in similar projects should depend on what naturally abounds in each location to ensure that the approach remains viable and sustainable. /cb