Centuries-old sunken town re-emerges during drought
By Joel Guinto
The ruins of an almost 300-year-old town have resurfaced as searing temperatures in the Philippines partially dried up a major dam.
Pantabangan town was submerged in the 1970s to build a reservoir.
But it emerges from the water on extremely rare occasions, when the weather is dry and hot.
It comes as almost half the country is experiencing a drought, with temperatures reaching a high of 50C (122F) in some places.
This is the longest the town has ever been above water since the dam was constructed, Marlon Paladin, an engineer with the state agency that operates the country’s dams, told news agency AFP.
The extreme heat has disrupted the daily lives of millions as schools are shut for days and office workers are advised to work from home.
And it could still get marginally hotter in the coming days, Benison Estareja, a meteorologist at the state-run weather bureau Pagasa, told BBC News.
“The general impact of climate change on the Philippines is warmer temperatures. The heat that we are experiencing, it could steadily increase in the coming days,” Mr Estareja said.
