On the Philippine island of Pugad, street food vendor Maria Tamayo wakes before her grandchildren to begin the backbreaking work of removing seawater from her home scoop by scoop with a plastic dustpan.

The routine has been the same ever since the rising tides of Manila Bay began swallowing the island -- a seven-hectare speck of land in danger of sinking completely underwater.

Originally published on doc.afp.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.