DAVAO CITY - The main sources of agricultural products located in the low-lying areas near the different river basins of Mindanao are under threat from floods worse than those that hit Luzon recently unless government agencies coordinate and consolidate their programs and projects.
This was bared by Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Secretary Emmanuel Piñol on Wednesday.
"In the recent 4th Mindanao River Basin Management Council (MRBMC) meeting held at the Provincial Capitol of North Cotabato convened by MinDA, I submitted an observation that government efforts to address the perennial flooding in Mindanao River Basins lacked coherence and coordination, " he said.
Piñol said satellite maps showing the thinning forest cover and the expanding flood hazard areas in Mindanao underscored the need to immediately implement a consolidated approach to the perennial problem.
He said that three major agencies involved in preventing flooding - the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Department of Agriculture (DA) - have spent some PHP6 billion for projects implemented over the last few years.
"The huge government expenditure, however, has not even lessened the flooding and the damage caused to agriculture and the livelihood of residents in the low-lying areas," he said.
"After a two-hour reporting on the accomplishments of the three agencies, I recommended to the MRBMC Chairman Orlando Cardinal Quevedo that the creation of the Mindanao River Basin Development Authority (MRBA) should be pursued, " Piñol added.
He also said that with the concurrence of North Cotabato Governor Nancy Catamco who hosted the event, the following measures were submitted by the MRBMC: the immediate dredging and de-clogging of the major rivers to ensure the free-flow of water, especially in the Central Mindanao Area where the major rivers are choked by water hyacinth; and the establishment of water catchment basins, small dams, levees and water impounding to mitigate the sudden rush of floodwater to the lower portions of the basins, a measure which could also be beneficial to agriculture.
Piñol said there should be construction of levees and river embankments to manage and direct the flow of floodwater and minimize damage to agriculture and the strict implementation of forestry laws, including legal actions to be taken against those who encroach into the critical watershed areas.
He said the meeting also discussed measures on a serious, effective, and well-planned program to grow trees in the deforested highlands, watersheds, and mountains, including the growing of fruit trees and the creation of the singular agency which will coordinate the implementation of these programs through an Executive Order to be issued by President Duterte because of the urgency of the problem.
Piñol said the council will meet again in the early part of 2021 to follow up on the implementation of the recommendations, adding that any delay could result in a disaster.