The rehabilitation of Allah Valley Watershed Forest Reserve is a top prioty of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in partnership with the provincial governments of South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat, DENR regional executive director Jim O. Sampulna said.
“We have prioritized Allah Valley because it is believed that 60 to 80 percent of the silt deposited in the Rio Grande de Mindanao comes from the Allah River. We know that the siltation of rivers and other water channels is one of the causes of widespread flooding in the area,” Sampulna said.
There are 25 identified watershed forest reserves in the Region 12 with combined area of 753,700 has. The Allah Valley Watershed Forest Reserve covers a total area of 102,350 hectares spanning three municipalities in South Cotabato (Lake Sebu, Surallah and T’boli) and in Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat Province.
The Allah Valley Landscape Development Alliance, operated by the provincial governments of South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat manages this watershed.
“We have yet to come up with a definitive study on the Allah Valley Watershed, hence we have requested the office of DENR Secretary Jose L. Atienza Jr. to source funds to finance the conduct of a feasibility study,” Sampulna said. – Benny Enriquez