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Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Flashflood, landslide alert up in S. Cotabato
SOUTH Cotabato officials raised the alert for possible flashfloods and landslides in several parts of the province due to the continuing heavy rains over the last few days.
South Cotabato Governor Daisy Avance-Fuentes advised residents, especially those located near the province's major river systems and areas previously hit by landslides, to take the necessary precautionary measures or evacuate to safer grounds.
"The water level in our rivers is continuously rising. I have directed our disaster management team to monitor the situation round-the-clock to avert any serious disaster if the heavy rains will continue," the governor said.
The provincial disaster coordinating council, which is headed by Fuentes, cited that several towns have been swamped by floodwaters over the last three days but no flashfloods or landslides have been reported.
In Tantangan town, town officials reported that some 190 hectares of palay and corn farmlands were destroyed by the floods in at least three villages.
Hardest hit was barangay Bukay Pait with about 100 hectares swept by floodwaters, 50 hectares in New Iloilo and 40 hectares in Bukay Pait.
Fons Villa, Tantangan information officer, said the floods primarily affected the town's low-lying areas.
He said the floods were caused by denudation of the nearby Roxas mountain range and the swelling of the Bulok Creek in Koronadal, which flows to the town's river-tributaries.
Fuentes said she has instructed the clearing of the houses along the banks of the Banga and Allah rivers and those near the "banlas" or sluice mining site in Barangay Kematu, T'boli town.
The Allah River is the main outlet of the crater-lake Holon (formerly Maughan) in T'boli that swelled about a decade ago, triggering a flashflood that killed 80 people and destroyed millions worth of crops and properties.
Fuentes said the lake's water level is still considered normal as reported by a four-man monitoring team deployed in the area by the Provincial Government and the local government of T'boli.
The governor also directed village officials in Sitios Blangas and El Lubog in Kematu to facilitate the immediate evacuation of the area's residents from the sluice mining area. (Allen V. Estabillo)
(August 29, 2005 issue)
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