The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. By its geography, it is located at the “Typhoon Belt” in the Pacific Ocean thus it gets hit by an average of 20 tropical cyclones annually. These effects are flooding, landslides and affect its economy as well such as agriculture.
It is also along the Pacific Ring of Fire where tectonic and volcanic activity is common. This makes the Philippines vulnerable to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
The Philippine population currently is at 104 million and has one of the highest population growth rates in the world. Poverty is rated at a high of 25% among the poorest of the poor and 35% at poverty level on top of that.
Thus, habitations and communities among the poverty-stricken are mostly concentrated on the most vulnerable areas with regards to disasters.
Owing to population pressure, the lack of land for habitation and naturally occurring disasters, the primary hazards such as flooding has also exacerbated the health of these communities. According to the Global Climate Risk Index 2015, the country is topmost among nations adversely affected by typhoons, floods, and heat waves. Thus, the country is now rated as the No. 1 country most affected by disasters caused by weather.
As mentioned above, such communities are more vulnerable to types of diseases born by congested communities, unsanitary conditions and lack of health facilities. These diseases such as water-borne and vector-borne diseases include dengue, chikungunya, and malaria gets worse during the times when a natural disaster strikes.
These cases worsen in combination with close proximity between households, lack of proper toilet facilities and most of all potable, clean water.
There are efforts by the Department of Health (DOH), the local government units (LGUs) and private institutions and NGOs to address the basic lack of WaSH (Water Sanitation and Hygiene) facilities. The Manila Water Foundation, Private Health companies, and even Healthcare Providers are cooperating and coordinating with each other to mitigate the effects of Climate Change that brings severe weather conditions which in turn affect these communities.
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