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.

"Scooping water takes a long time. That's why my feet have started aching," the 65-year-old said, adding that she can spend up to three hours a day at the task.

"I have to scoop out the water before my grandchildren wake up, or else they'll slip on the floor. But it's no use … there's still water."

Tamayo is one of 2,500 people living in Pugad's only village.

The island is not the only one at risk in coastal Bul

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