Agency vows to ease flooding in Maguindanao

Residents walk through a flooded alley in Barangay Rosary Heights 8 in Cotabato City following heavy rains in Central Mindanao. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

COTABATO CITY — The Mindanao Development Authority (Minda) has ordered the dredging of the heavily silted Liguasan Marsh in Maguindanao province as heavy rains submerged this city this week.

Minda chair Abul Khayr Alonto said officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Central Mindanao assured his office that two new dredging machines would be shipped here.

“Minda fully realizes and feels the urgency of the dredging operations,” Alonto said.

He said one of the dredging machines would be stationed along the Rio Grande River here, while another would be set up along the Ulandang River in North Cotabato province.

Alonto said the delivery of the equipment had been delayed by two failed biddings for a shipping contract. “But the DPWH (Central Mindanao) has already assured us that these will be shipped, immediately,” Alonto said.

Earlier, water from Liguasan Marsh and its tributaries overflowed due to torrential rains in Mindanao, causing heavy flooding not only in this city but also in low-lying villages in Maguindanao.

The Cotabato City council on Wednesday declared the city under a state of calamity as floodwater submerged 20 of 37 villages, prompting some schools to suspend classes.

Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu said he was wondering what Minda had done to solve the flooding as 18 of 36 towns in his province remained flooded.

According to Mangudadatu, one of these towns, Mother Kabuntalan, has been underwater for more than two months now.

But Alonto said Mangudadatu had been briefed about Minda’s efforts to address flooding.

In October last year, Minda and the DPWH agreed to allocate P800 million for flood control and dredging of Pulangi River that flows from Bukidnon province to Cotabato.

Minda said P6-billion worth of flood control projects for other critical river systems, including Rio Grande de Mindanao and Tamontaka, Buluan-Alip, Ambal-Simuay and Ala rivers would be implemented in 2019. —Edwin O. Fernandez