Cotabato flood control projects properly implemented – Mendoza
DREDGING operations in Pigcawayan, Cotabato. (PGO Cotabato)
KIDAPAWAN CITY – Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza assured the people that flood control projects are properly implemented in Cotabato province.
“In Cotabato province, it is properly implemented," Mendoza said in her State-of-the-Province Address (SOPA) on Tuesday, March 24, here.
Mendoza said flood control projects totaled P2.9 billion in different parts of the province through Trade Union Congress of the Philippines Rep. Raymund Mendoza and Cotabato third district Rep. Samantha Santos.
Mendoza said that implementation of flood control projects is just one of the provincial government’s efforts to mitigate flooding and landslides.
She added that the provincial government has acquired two amphibious excavators for P112 million to address these problems. These are now being used in ongoing dredging and desilting operations in M’lang, Tulunan, Pigcawayan, Pikit, and Kabacan.
A total of 22 kilometers of waterways have been cleared in these towns, Mendoza said. “This is far more effective than the flood control of DPWH,” the governor said.
She added that they are now in the process of procuring two more amphibious excavators exclusively for the second and third districts.
The two existing amphibious excavators will be dedicated to the first district, which has more flood-prone areas than the rest of the province due to its proximity to the Ligawasan Marsh.
During the rainy season, many low-lying areas in these municipalities are submerged in floodwater due to clogged waterways and swelling of the river systems.
Perennial flooding has been affecting farmers as the province is in the middle of the Mindanao River Basin.
Local chief executives have admitted that their resources are not enough to address recurring flood, prompting the provincial government to step in.