4,000 people affected by floods in 17 villages of Cotabato town

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

KIDAPAWAN CITY–More than 4,000 people in 17 villages of Tulunan town, Cotabato province were affected by flooding since Tuesday, Nov. 21, following the heavy rains spawned by the Shear Line and intense thunderstorms that caused rivers and creeks to swell and irrigation canals to overflow on Monday night.

The floods have devastated more than 800 hectares of agricultural crops, according to the town’s municipal agriculture office.

Tulunan Mayor Ruel “Pip” Limbungan ordered the forced evacuation of at least 68 families in the town’s Barangay Popoyon as floodwaters continued to submerge large parts of the area since Tuesday.

Limbungan also suspended classes in all levels in the village and the nearby Barangay Dungos as schools were still submerged in meter-deep flood waters.

Aside from Popoyon and Dungos, the villages that were flooded also included Poblacion, Bagumbayan, New Bunawan, F. Cajelo, Kanibong, Nabundasan, New Culasi, Maybula, Tuburan, Tambac, Minapan, Sibsib, New Panay, Galidan and Bual.

Tulunan town’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) reported more than 4,000 individuals whose houses were affected by floods but Limbungan clarified that most of the affected families preferred to stay in their houses, though, most of them spent sleepless nights waiting for the water to subside.

READ: Heavy flooding hits parts of Davao City after 3-hour rain

Low Lying villages of Tulunan have become a natural catchment for excess waters coming from Liguasan Marsh delta, which receives excess nt waters from the towns of Buluan and Paglas in Maguindanao del Sur and the province of South Cotabato during heavy rains. Rivers, creeks and irrigation canals surrounding these low lying areas finally overflowed, causing the flooding in 17 villages of Tulunan town.

According to the Tulunan municipal agriculture office (MAO), 365-hectares of rice fields in maturing stages have been flattened by the floods, affecting more or less 404 farmers. MAO also reported damages in corn fields, vegetable and banana plantations, livestock and poultry farms but could not yet quantify the exact amount as they were still gathering more data from the fields.

The flood also submerged the Fr. Tulio Favali District Hospital, the town plaza, churches and even the public cemetery.

In the nearby town of Mlang, at least 500 hectares of newly planted rice fields were also washed away by the floods that hit Barangay Dugong.

Bernardo Tayong, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer (MDRRMO) of Mlang, pegged the damage at P1 million.

M’lang town’s low lying Barangay Dugong, located a few kilometers from the Liguasan Marsh delta, has served as a natural catch basin for excess water coming from the delta, making it very prone to flooding during heavy rains.