A visual geonarrative: the confluencing fluvial life-world entanglements of the lower Abra River delta and Santa townsfolk

Keywords: geonarratives, Ilocos Sur, Abra River, human-environment,
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Monday
Session Start / End Time: 2/28/2022 09:40 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/28/2022 11:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 70

Abstract

Santa is a low-lying community situated along the edge of the lower Abra River and its delta off the coast of Ilocos Sur province in northwest Philippines. Both the town and the river are subjected to heavy rains and seasonal flooding as they are regularly traversed by tropical cyclones that make landfall in the island of Luzon. Based on historical records, Santa has changed its location multiple times, in relation to the changes to the lower Abra River morphology and/or associated floodings. Using historical topographical maps, remote sensing image data, and archival documents, this study draws attention to the following: (1) the dynamic flow of people in Santa; (2) the metamorphosis of the lower Abra River and delta, and; (3) the intermingling of these fluvial embodiments through the creation of GIS-aided visual geonarratives (in the form of cartographic outputs) of the geo-historical flooding experiences of the people and the morphological transformations to the river delta. Based on the outcome of this study, it is evident that there is a ‘confluence’ between the river and the townsfolk – that is, with the convergence of both life-worlds influencing the ‘long-ago’, the ‘on-going’, and the ‘yet to come’ river-tales that depict the geonarratives of a Philippine fluvialscape.