BUTUAN CITY – The devastating impact of extreme weather events in the Caraga region highlight how uncontrolled population growth is increasing climate vulnerability, a regional population official said on Wednesday, Feb. 7.

RESPONDERS conduct rescue operations at the site of a landslide in Maco, Davao de Oro on Wednesday, February 7. (AFP/Office of the Provincial Fire Marshal-Davao de Oro)

The area, particulary the provinces of Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur, had been hit by a series of floods and landslides over the past month triggered by the trough of a low-pressure area (LPA).

As of February 3, over 60,000 families in the region have been affected, with thousands displaced from their homes.

"Rapid population growth in Caraga and across Mindanao is a key driver of these worsening climate disasters," said Director Alexander A. Makinano, head of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD)-Caraga.

"As more people occupy marginal lands and forests are cleared, communities become more exposed to extreme weather," Makinano said.

Makinano said Caraga's population went up by over 22 percent or 600,000 in 15 years or two million to 2.6 million from 2000 to 2015. 

As a result, resources have been strained, resulting in more danger, he said.

"All these extra people need land for farming, housing, more roads, infrastructure, and basic services. But when marginal areas are cultivated and forests logged, it increases the hazard risk, especially during severe weather events."

Makinano suggested strengthening family planning programs to enable couples to choose smaller families.

"Fewer children per household will ease pressure on fragile environments across Caraga and reduce disaster impacts," he said.

Environmental groups concurred that slowing population growth must be part of any strategy to curb climate change and build resilient communities in Mindanao.

"This will benefit both current and future generations," Makinano said.