A to Z 2013: Water

For the month of April I will be blogging alphabetically with the theme of Winnipeg versus Davao City. Not to prove a winner but simply to explore the differences and similarities between my home town and my current location.

W is for Water!

The Assiniboine River in Winnipeg.

Water is a huge issue. Water is life. Clean drinking water is a topic of global concern, proper hygiene and sanitation are greatly affected by it, agriculture depends on it, historically accessibility and trade have been guided by it. It brings life and it can destroy it.

A small fishing boat on the water.

As previously mentioned, both Winnipeg and Davao were named after their major bodies of water. These cities are rooted in the history of the rivers that run through them. For Davao, its namesake empties into a gulf that has been severely over-fished for generations. Winnipeg, being in the heart of a continent, could only have been founded by the intersection of two important rivers. One of Winnipeg's nick-names is River City.

The Forks National Historic site.

Both cities flood. In Davao it can be quite sudden. A heavy rain for a few days will leave streets all over with a few inches to a few feet of water. Sometimes the river swells its bank from further upstream and washes away squatter shacks in the middle of the night. Winnipeg has a slow flood. It can be seen coming for weeks from South of the border. They've taken precautions that may have caused greater damage to the surrounding farm land. (Water diversion canal, aka The Floodway.)

A tenuous place to live in Davao.

On a much more positive note, these cities can also boast that they have some of the best drinking water around! Winnipeg has recently given their water treatment facilities a complete overhaul and Davao has had some of the cleanest water flowing from her taps in all of Asia!

This bridge in Winnipeg is meant to resemble the large ships that use to cruise up the Red River.

I think I can seem my house from here!

In winter you can use the river as a short-cut if you're walking.

This crazy spidey boat is still finding fish in the Gulf of Davao.

Oh, look! Spring!

A lot of coral has been killed from blast fishing.

Spring flooding in Winnipeg.

Clown fish!

A sunny summer evening on the Assiniboine.

I love these Filipino boats.