KIDAPAWAN CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will soon start constructing multi-billion flood control projects in the Mindanao River Basin, reports from the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) said.
The projects, MinDA reports said, would be built in the provinces of Maguindanao, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat and in Cotabato City where incidence of flooding has become a normal occurrence during heavy rains.
Also, these areas are located in the Mindanao River Basin, the second largest river basin in the Philippines with an area of 21,502 square kilometers.
MinDA chair Luwalhati Antonino said the projects include the dredging and widening of the 7.7-kilometer cut-off channel to divert flood water from Ambal-Simuay River directly to Illana Bay in Maguindanao without passing through the Rio Grande de Mindanao to protect the populated areas of Cotabato City and the municipality of Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.
The projects also include the dredging of Rio Grande de Mindanao and construction of dike along the Tunggol cut-off channel in Pulangi River as this will protect the Tunggol Bridge that connects Pagalungan, Maguindanao to areas in Cotabato and Davao.
A riverbank protection project would also be constructed in Ala River in Sultan Kudarat to avoid flooding in the municipality of Lambayong.
DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson clarified these projects are not ‘band aid’ solutions to perennial problems on flooding in Mindanao.
He said the projects must be implemented the soonest to mitigate recurring flooding that displaced residents and damaged livelihood and properties in the affected areas.
During the Mindanao Business Conference held recently in Davao City, Singson discussed the projects with several local government officials in Mindanao, including MinDA Chair Antonino, and Governors Lala Talino-Mendoza of North Cotabato; Esmael Mangudadatu of Maguindanao; Daisy Avance-Fuentes of South Cotabato; and Suharto Mangudadatu of Sultan Kudarat.
Antonino said MinDA is also pursuing non-structural solutions to complement with DPWH’s infrastructure projects in MRB.
Antonino said that although they see the flood control projects as an immediate step to curb flooding around the Mindanao’s river basin, still, the MinDA is adopting bio-engineering measures to prevent soil erosion and ensure slope stabilization.
The flood control projects, according to Antonino, are implemented through its MindaNOW Nurturing Our Waters (MindaNOW) program. (Malu Cadelina Manar)