DENR: Plant more mangroves to fight typhoons, storm surge

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-7 has urged the public to help out in planting mangroves along the coastal areas in the four provinces in Central Visayas to protect the communities from storm surges, waves, tidal currents and typhoons.

DENR-7 information officer Eddie Llamedo said that they have identified five areas in Cebu that have to be planted with mangroves.

These are the coastal areas in the towns of Cordova, Minglanilla and San Fernando and the cities of Talisay and Naga.

Llamedo said that barangay Tangke in Talisay City and the several coastal barangays in Minglanilla, are storm surge prone areas.

"Kaning duha ka areas kay storm surge prone gyud ni sila and very few mangroves ang natanom anang dapita," Llamedo said.

Llamedo said that those who want to plant mangroves may just contact their office or to the Community Environment and Natural Resources Offices to source out mangrove seedlings or saplings.

Isabelo Montejo, DENR-7 regional executive director, in a separate statement said that super typhoon Yolanda has taught a lesson that storm surges could happen given the strong winds that go with a 'monstrous' typhoon and its devastating effects to communities along the coastlines.

"It is high time for us to reflect on the degraded coastal forests and how we would be able to regenerate through mangrove reforestation to make our coastlines less vulnerable to extreme weather events," Montejo said.

Storm surge, which is the rise of sea waters being carried or lifted by strong winds engulfing coastal areas, occurred in Tacloban City and Dulag town in Leyte; municipalities of Guiuan, Llorente and Balangiga in Eastern Samar; and the town of Basey in Samar.

Montejo added that mangroves are salt tolerant, woody, seed-bearing plants ranging in size from small shrubs to tall trees and they occur along sheltered intertidal coastlines and in association with estuaries and lagoons.

Mangroves provide nursery grounds for fish, prawns and crabs, and support fisheries production in coastal areas.

Llamedo added that in addition to their biotic functions, mangroves have extensive rooting structures that slow water movement to trap sediments.

Pollutants washed from the land, particularly those that are adhered to sediment particles, also are filtered and absorbed by mangroves.

Llamedo added that mangroves anchor the soil and also absorb and dissipate the energy of the waves, slowing their passage in land.

This is particularly important as high waves or storm tides can quickly erode coastlines and damaged structures, he further said.— (FREEMAN)