Rising seas threaten early end for sinking village in Philippines

Rising seas threaten early end for sinking village in Philippines

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Danica Martinez (below),16, grew up in a house that grows taller every few years.

Her father raises the stilts of their bamboo hut so water from the sea doesn't reach the floor. They live in Sitio Pariahan, a coastal village in the Philippines that was once an island, and is now without land.

. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
Danica shields her face from the sun as she travels home from school by boat.

Sitio Pariahan, about 17 km (10.5 miles) north of Manila, is sinking about 4 cm (1.5 inches) every year, owing largely to land subsidence from the population's overuse of groundwater, according to experts.

. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
A partly submerged church sits amongst a dilapidated school and bamboo huts risen by stilts.

Now rising sea levels caused by global warming could soon make this village unliveable, a problem faced by other countries in Asia, where the poorest communities are worst hit.

. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
A woman pumps water from the village well.

A deep well is the only source of water, and residents use it to bathe, clean, cook and, sometimes, even to drink.

Solar panels are installed on many rooftops for electricity, mostly to watch television that's shared between neighbours. On days that power is low, residents pass the time by gambling.

. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
Nancy Manalaysay, 54, the church's caretaker, paddles her way out of the partly-submerged church.

Martinez remembers that their village wasn't always like this. She recalls basketball tournaments and grand feasts that their community once held, so popular that visitors from nearby towns would flock to watch performances, and celebrate mass at the church.

The court is now fully submerged, and the church that was once filled with devotees is stained with moss.

. Manila, Philippines. Reuters
The Martinez family spend time together on the roof of their bamboo hut.

Much of the destruction happened when Typhoon Nesat struck in 2011, bringing waves Martinez said were as big as houses.

She saw how the huts were pulled into the sea, one by one, as she and her siblings held onto bamboo poles. Their school was also destroyed, and left only with walls. More than 50 families left and never returned.

. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
Domingo Martinez drives his daughters Danica and Cindy to school on his boat.

Now, Martinez and her siblings take a 30-minute boat ride to school, sometimes with uniforms drenched by big waves.

"It seems scary to look at, but you get used to living like this," she said. "It's difficult, but also fun."

Her parents rely on their boat to make a living.

. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
Crabs caught by Domingo whilst fishing, are stored on his boat.

"Without a boat, you are paralysed," said her mother Mary Jane Martinez, who sells crabs her husband catches to the town's market. She said life in the village was getting harder day by day, but she still preferred it to the city.

"If you work hard here, you will survive. You only have to jump on the sea to catch food. In land, you can work hard and still not have enough," she said.

. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
The Martinez family spend time together.

Her husband, Domingo, said leaving was not an option, because there is nowhere to go. They once tried to rent an apartment in a nearby town, but moved back shortly after.

"Our livelihood is here," he said. "If we are asked to move inland, it would be difficult to make a living. What if we become beggars there?"

. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
A bamboo hut is built on stilts on top of a cemented structure.

Fernando Siringan, a climate change expert, has studied Sitio Pariahan closely and said some delta areas north of Manila were changing rapidly because land was subsiding and water levels rising at the same time.

"What is being projected 50 years from now or 100 years from now for many parts of the globe is actually happening right now at even faster rates," he said.

A U.N. climate change summit will be held in Madrid from Dec. 2-13, and with wildfires plaguing parts of the United States and Australia, and severe flooding in Europe all being linked to global warming, public pressure is rising on cost-conscious governments to find urgent solutions.

. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
Danica walks back to her home carrying a gallon of water which she pumps daily from a well.

Danica sees no future in living permanently in what has become like a scene from "Waterworld", the 1995 film starring Kevin Costner, where post-apocalyptic tribes live on boats and rafts.

"Someday I also want to leave and experience what it's like to live inland," she said.

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Slideshow

Cindy and DJ wake up in their bamboo hut.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Cindy and DJ wake up in their bamboo hut.

Danica brushes her teeth with water that she pumped from a well.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Danica brushes her teeth with water that she pumped from a well.

Mary Jane helps her daughter Cindy get ready for school.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Mary Jane helps her daughter Cindy get ready for school.

Danica drinks a cup of milk as she prepares to go to school.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Danica drinks a cup of milk as she prepares to go to school.

Danica (L) and Cindy walk along the dock on their way to school.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Danica (L) and Cindy walk along the dock on their way to school.

Danica sits in class at a Montessori school in Obando.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Danica sits in class at a Montessori school in Obando.

Domeng and Dedet Burgos, relatives of the Martinez family, untangle a fishing net.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Domeng and Dedet Burgos, relatives of the Martinez family, untangle a fishing net.

DJ sits on a boat.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

DJ sits on a boat.

Domingo catches crab whilst fishing.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Domingo catches crab whilst fishing.

Crabs caught by DJ, are laid out for lunch.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Crabs caught by DJ, are laid out for lunch.

Cindy Martinez prepares to feed her dog cooked chicken.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Cindy Martinez prepares to feed her dog cooked chicken.

An old family photo belonging to a resident, shows the village of Sitio Pariahan before it became submerged.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

An old family photo belonging to a resident, shows the village of Sitio Pariahan before it became submerged.

Cindy, 14, greets her dog after arriving home from school.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Cindy, 14, greets her dog after arriving home from school.

Cindy climbs up towards the roof of the family's bamboo hut.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Cindy climbs up towards the roof of the family's bamboo hut.

Residents socialise outside of their bamboo huts.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Residents socialise outside of their bamboo huts.

Bamboo huts are risen by stilts.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Bamboo huts are risen by stilts.