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Monday, November 05, 2007
65 villages in SoCot, Kudarat prone to flood
KORONADAL CITY -- At least 65 villages in the agriculturally-dependent provinces of South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat are prone to flood, and this situation had caused the destruction of crops and properties worth at least P512 million since 1995.
This was the gist of the flood vulnerability assessment study released by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau and the Allah Valley Landscape Development Alliance (Avladaba).
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In a recent report to the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council of South Cotabato, Jaime Flores, MGB-Central Mindanao chief geologist, warned that crops and properties are vulnerable to flooding caused by heavy rainfall, reduced forest cover, and lack of flood control measures.
Thirty-eight villages in South Cotabato and 27 in Sultan Kudarat are at high risk for flooding, he stressed.
The flood-prone villages in South Cotabato are contained in the five towns of T'boli, Surallah, Banga, Sto. Nino, and Norala, the study showed.
These towns are all located in the Upper Valley portion of the province, which serves as production areas for corn and palay.
"Heavy rainfall was the main culprit for the flooding," Flores said, adding that inundation occurred due to human activities like logging.
The bureau, an attached agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Avladaba conducted information awareness on the results of the Geo-hazard Mapping and Assessment in affected communities.
The move includes the distribution of pamphlets on landslide and flood preparedness and mitigation efforts such as the setting up of community-based early warning systems.
Rains in the two provinces normally occur from May to November, the study noted.
Since September 1995, 23,796 families have been affected by the flooding that also destroyed crops and properties worth at least P515 million, the study said.
The bulk of the damage was brought by the Lake Maughan tragedy when it overflowed that year, killing at least 53 people.
Lake Maughan, located in T'boli, South Cotabato, overflowed reportedly after one of its walls caved in allegedly due to treasure hunting activities.
Records from the provincial disaster office showed the Maughan flashflood destroyed infrastructure and farm crops worth P279 million.
Reynaldo Legaste, South Cotabato provincial agriculturist, claimed that direct damage to agriculture this year due to flashfloods was less than a million pesos, occurring in T'boli town.
But he said that heavy rains affected roads and infrastructures delaying delivery of farm outputs to major local trading centers.
Legaste said palay harvest in the province for the wet season has started with an initial area of 6,000 hectares. (Sun.Star General Santos/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pampanga. (November 5, 2007 issue)
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