Sinking feeling: Philippine cities facing ‘slow-motion disaster’
When Mary Ann San Jose moved to Sitio Pariahan more than two decades ( ) ago, she could walk to the local chapel ( ). Today, reaching it requires a swim.
The main culprit ( ) is catastrophic ( ) subsidence ( ) caused by groundwater ( ) being pumped ( ) out from below, often via ( ) unregulated wells ( ) for homes, factories, and farms catering to ( ) a booming ( ) population and growing economy.
The steady sinking of coastal towns in the northern Philippines has caused Manila Bay’s water to pour ( ) inland and displace ( ) thousands, posing a greater threat ( ) than rising sea levels due to climate change.
The provinces ( ) of Pampanga and Bulacan have sunk between four and six centimeters annually ( ) since 2003, according to satellite ( ) monitoring ( ). By comparison ( ), the UN estimates ( ) average sea level rise globally is about three millimeters per year.
不祥預感：菲律賓城市面臨「緩慢的災難」
當瑪莉．安．聖荷西20多年前搬到西堤歐帕里翰時，她還能走路到當地的禮拜堂，如今卻得游泳才能到達。
主因是抽取地下水造成的災難性地層下陷，通常是經由未受管制的家庭、工廠和農田水井抽取，目的是應付人口暴增及經濟成長所需。
菲國北部沿海城鎮持續下陷，讓馬尼拉灣的海水湧向內陸，造成數千人無家可歸，威脅更甚於氣候變遷所引發的海平面上升。
衛星觀測顯示，從2003年起，班巴加省和布拉坎省每年地層下陷達4到6公分。相較之下，聯合國估計，全球海平面平均每年上升約3公釐。
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