Floodwaters still rising in Maguindanao

COTABATO CITY, Philippines—The water level in flooded areas of Maguindanao and in at least 30 villages here has risen following days of rain that swelled rivers, including those in the nearby provinces of North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat, officials said on Saturday.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) also reported that the number of affected families rose to more than 13,000 but no evacuations or casualties had been reported.

Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, who is also PDRRMC chair, said water hyacinths on rivers caused clogging and hampered the free flow of water into the Moro Gulf.

This has been a perennial problem and his office has already coordinated with the public works department for another clearing operation, according to the governor.

Mangudadatu said among those being targeted for clearing were the Rio Grande de Mindanao and the Tamontaka River.

Water hyacinths have been building up there the past three days.

He said that the floods damaged more than P1 million worth of agricultural crops in the towns of Datu Piang and Kabuntalan based on initial reports.

The provincial government expects the cost of damage to increase as rain continues in the nearby provinces.

Major tributaries in North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat are interconnected with those in Maguindanao. If those tributaries swell, excess water could not drain into the Moro Gulf because Maguindanao rivers are now teeming with water hyacinths, Mangudadatu said.

During the time of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the national government created a body to address the problem on water hyacinths and the heavy siltation of Mindanao rivers. While the hyacinths were cleared then, the dredging operations barely pushed through.–Edwin Fernandez