Where have all the rivers gone?

It is like a yearly ritual. This is the time of the year when torrential rains start bringing havoc to many parts of the country.

- TECH4GOOD FORMER DICT UNDERSECRETARY MON B. IBRAHIM

The monsoon rains lash down, turning streets into raging torrents and communities into islands. Again. As headlines scream of “unprecedented” flooding, a familiar narrative emerges: clogged drains, mountains of garbage, and the sheer volume of water. As part of the ritual, citizens are once again demanding accountability from the government regarding the allocation and use of the billions of pesos in annual flood control budgets.

Beyond the obvious problem of indiscriminate waste disposal, the Philippines, especially its expanding metropolitan centers, faces a more sneaky foe in its battle against perpetual flooding. A significant piece of this watery puzzle is buried beneath our feet, forgotten and paved over.

Yes, the very arteries of our land, the natural rivers and streams designed to carry excess water away, have vanished, swallowed by unchecked urban sprawl and governmental negligence. It sounds like fiction—but it's not. Hidden beneath concrete homes, shanties, commercial buildings, and paved streets lie the ghosts of flowing rivers and creeks. They have not dried up naturally. They've been swallowed by urban expansion, leaving cities vulnerable to flash floods and worsening calamities. In Metro Manila alone, countless waterways—once vital to draining rainfall—are now locked away under structures that should never have been built there. The question begs to be asked: Where have all the rivers gone?