Not a farfetched scenario

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By Cha Monforte

Whenever strong and long rains fall in Compostela Valley mainland, the towns referring to the pioneer Compostela town configuration- Mawab, Nabunturan, Montevista, Monkayo, Compostela and New Bataan, flood later develop particularly in the strait of downland barangays straddling along the Manat River from Monkayo down to Compostela and portion of Nabunturan.

Like the town of Carmen and adjacent barangays of Sto. Tomas and Dujali that straddles in the proximity of drain of Saug river in Davao del Norte, this particular Comval area is flood-prone and at its heart, backflow of waters from Monkayo and Agusan river (mercurized as it is now after two decades of being flushed of the golden murky waters from Diwalwal) will concentrate and mix with floodwaters from the mainland highlands, submerging ricefields, banana plantations and even the town centers of Monkayo and Compostela as experienced some two years ago.

There are similar topographical cases in the region of this particular Comval area which only became flood-prone with deeper level of floodwater starting not too long ago. It pesters the mind that this came about after decades of unabated illegal logging and slash-and-burn (kaingin) activities in the highlands that subsequently silted so much the river channels down to chain. And small and large mining activities in the province of gold contributed to this dismal consequence since whenever there’s mining it is sure as tomorrow that adjacent forests are swallowed up by the mine’s requirements of timber for underground fortification and makeshift housing purposes.

There’s now a grim scenario that if deforestation continues to occur in the highland ranges and mountains in the mainland and Agusan del Sur including Mawab’s Masara ranges, though the latter drains to Hijo River towards Davao Gulf, in the next few years highland flood and backflow waters would come so big and strong down to the mainland’s flood-prone flashpoint.

It would not be farfetched to reckon now, heaven forbid, that a big, high flood would come submerging the lowland town centers of the mainland in a specter of the what recently dawned to Iloilo City where floodwaters almost climbed to the roofs of houses.

It was unpredicted, a surprising flood that the amiable Ilonggos did not ever imagine to strike at that worst throughout their history. What a doomsday warning to the Comval mainland officials and people if trees continue to fall to the ground and rivers go silted. (For online edition, visit my blog at http://cha4t.wordpress.com)

Filed under: davao del norte, land use, compostela, comval, diwalwal, monkayo, montevista, nabunturan, new bataan. davao del norte

Hear yesterday, today

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Suddenly, yesterday and most recently, our regional officials talked about mostly medium- and long-range policy solutions to contain the problem of shortage of rice and increases of its prices in the market. At far end, here’s a National Economic Development Authority drum-beating and crowing a promise to the poor that NFA would continue at its present P18 price per kilo. That’s promising them that low-quality, almost unchewable rice would be perpetuated as food- pardon us- feed for the poor,

The Mindanao Economic Development Council in Davao City wants now to regulate land conversion of rice farms. But since when have we not regulated the transformation of food production areas to other uses? A plethora of laws regulating and prohibiting it remains to be enforceable by the agriculture and environment departments. Include, too, the laws and rules enforceable by the National Irrigation Administration, Philippine Coconut Authority, Housing Land Use Regulatory Board and lastly local governments. These are the agencies that have a role in land conversion processes. And with a MEDCo specialist talking about the need for the national government to regulate land conversion is simply mediocrity failing to do a homework on the matter. Or maybe the froth that comes out of his mouth was just scribbled naïve by a non-inquisitive PIA reporter, who trumpets and bloats anything from whatever is left to rejoice in this government. But we’re not yet shooting down a public messenger here.

Agriculture regional executive director Rogelio Chio has also called for the need of greater subsidy to achieve rice sufficiency by 2013, the improvement of national and communal irrigation systems, rehabilitation and construction of other infrastructures, high quality hybrid and inbred seeds and so on and so forth, agricultural mannas that have long been espoused by national government down to the line of municipal agricultural offices.

It’s tiresome to hear of old solutions that have not been fully realized through the years while the poor, fool and hungry are crying for solutions now. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com)

Filed under: land use, da officials, land conversion, land use