DAVAO CITY – The provincial government of Cotabato, various government agencies, and the National Power Corp. have agreed to strengthen safety protocols to help mitigate the perennial flooding in Central Mindanao.
GOV. Emmylou Mendoza meets government agencies at the provincial capitol in Kidapawan City on August 1 to discuss measures to mitigate the perennial flooding in Central Mindanao. (PGO Cotabato)
On August 1, Cotabato Gov. Emmylou “Lala” Taliño-Mendoza met representatives from the local government units, Napocor, Office of Civil Defense, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, National Irrigation Administration, and Department of Public Works and Highways to discuss coordination measures prior to the release of water from hydroelectric dams in Bukidnon.
Mendoza has chided Napocor after it released water from the Pulangi IV Hydroelectric Power Plant dam in Maramag, Bukidnon on July 12 without any warning to the local government units downstream.
The release of water aggravated flooding in the provinces of Cotabato and neighboring Maguindanao del Sur.
Severe flooding affected at least 10,000 residents in Cotabato and at least 800,000 in the Bangsamoro region.
Most of the affected areas were in the low-lying towns around the Ligawasan Marsh, the catch basin of the Pulangi River.
The provincial government of Cotabato said Napocor Mindanao Generation Department head Diogenes Esmade Jr. revealed that the Pulangi IV HPP Reservoir has a current storage capacity of 14 million cubic meters out of the original 67-million cubic meter capacity since it started operating in 1985.
This means that the current carrying capacity of the reservoir has dropped to less than one fourth of its original capacity.
Esmade attributed the dam’s reduced capacity to massive siltation.
He disclosed that they released 63,575,500.26 cubic meters of water equivalent to 317,877,501.3 drums from June 10 to 17.
Esmade assured the provincial government and other government agencies that they will expand the coordination of its Dam Operation Protocol in Cotabato and BARMM.
Mendoza pointed out that the uncoordinated release of water contributed to the displacement of communities, damage to properties, and loss of livelihood.
The provincial government and representatives of the concerned agencies have agreed to designate a point person who will coordinate with the LGUs if there will be projected water release schedules.
They will also coordinate with the Department of Science and Technology to repair or replace non-functional early warning devices such as automatic rain gauge, flood early warning system, and water level monitoring system that were installed in the municipalities on the Pulangi River.
Pulangi River’s headwater is located in the mountains of Bukidnon and cuts across the towns of Cotabato. Its major catch basin is the 220,000-hectare Ligawasan Marsh that drains into the Moro Gulf.
They also recommended the dredging of the Pulangi IV HPP reservoir.
Perennial flooding has destroyed thousands of hectares of agricultural land in Central Mindanao.
Mendoza recommended updating the master plan for the Mindanao River Basin to help address the perennial flooding in Central Mindanao.
The governor appealed to the national government to assist the local governments in Central Mindanao in addressing the perennial flooding.
Mendoza suggested to the concerned government agencies to refer to the Climate-Responsive Integrated Master Plan for the Mindanao River Basin in implementing any flood mitigation projects.
The governor will present the issues and recommendations before the meeting of stakeholders of the Mindanao River Basin along with the Mindanao Development Authority on August 6 in General Santos City.