WHILE it may be an anecdotal observation, it seems a virtually universal one: flooding problems around Metro Manila are rapidly worsening. Areas of the city that have always been prone to flooding now seem to be rendered impassable more quickly and with less rainfall, and other areas where flooding has typically been a rare occurrence are similarly swamped by what we might consider a 'normal' rainfall. The government is not unaware of the situation, of course, but awareness and action are not the same thing. Something must be done to address the problem before it becomes truly calamitous.