Gov’t needs P35 B to prevent floods in Cagayan Valley

ILAGAN, Isabela — The government needs at least P35 billion to construct a flood control system to mitigate heavy floods in the region, where it has incurred more than P2 billion in agriculture losses and infrastructure damage due to floods in just two months.

In last Wednesday’s flood summit here, Isabela second district Rep. Edwin Uy quoted a budget study conducted by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), which he said has expressed interest in extending a loan to the national government for its flood control program in Cagayan Valley.

The provincial government led by Gov. Grace Padaca organized the summit to allow regional officials to come up with a master plan to mitigate or prevent floods, especially in this province, which is still reeling from more than P1 billion in crop losses due to successive floods.

Rep. Anthony Miranda said President Arroyo, realizing the negative effects of floods here on the country’s economy, has expressed support for the efforts of Cagayan Valley officials.

In fact, even when the flood summit was being organized, Miranda said there were "high-level talks" on the multimillion-peso flood control project to which the President has committed "substantial" funding.

Miranda said the President advised local officials as well as the regional and provincial executives of the various government line agencies to come up with a comprehensive flood-mitigation master plan for the whole region, which would be endorsed for funding to national and international agencies, including the JBIC.

Cagayan Valley has at least 30 major rivers, including the Magat River (Nueva Vizcaya), Pinacanauan River (Isabela) and the Cagayan River, the country’s longest river, which overflow during heavy rains.

Per the Department of Public Works and Highways, the region could be spared from heavy flooding if there is a flood-control system along riverbanks.

Isabela officials proposed small impounding or auxiliary dams to augment the Magat Dam in Ramon town and prevent floodwaters from reaching low-lying areas of the province.

Engineer Vicente Galvez, regional director of the National Irrigation Administration, also cited the need to desilt the Magat Dam.

The life span of the Magat Dam, one of the country’s vital sources of irrigation and electricity, has been radically reduced to 36 years from the original 50 years due to siltation, slash-and-burn farming (kaingin), fishcaging, and illegal cutting of trees.

Galvez said the 1990 killer earthquake that struck Northern Luzon caused a lot of landslides that heavily silted all major and minor tributaries of the Magat River. 

During the flood summit, regional officials agreed to prioritize the dredging of heavily silted rivers, the construction of water impounding or auxiliary dams, and the rehabilitation of the multi-purpose Magat Dam as part of the region’s flood-mitigation master plan.

Also part of the master plan is the rehabilitation and reforestation of landslide-prone mountain areas.

"Instead of blaming each other, let us help one another to contain flooding," Padaca said.