For years, floods swallowed streets and threatened homes, then a Philippine fishing village used bamboo, oyster shells and coconut waste to make a natural coastal defence that has prevented flooding for two years

• For years, residents of Pamarawan, a small fishing village on the edge of Manila Bay in the Philippines, watched floodwaters enter their streets and threaten homes whenever strong monsoon winds or typhoons sent waves crashing towards the coast.
• Even a concrete breakwater, standing up to four metres high, was not enough to keep the water out.
• During storms, waves would rise almost a metre above the barrier, directly hitting houses built beside it.