DENR eyes resettlement of illegal settlers to prevent flooding near Cagayan River

An official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Sunday said resettling illegal settlers on higher ground may help prevent flooding near Cagayan River.

Interviewed on Dobol B sa News TV, DENR Undersecretary Jonas Leones said the department conducted ground verification and aerial inspection in Cagayan province on Saturday.

“Hindi lang talaga commercial logging 'yung nandoon sa taas…Pero ang nakita talaga natin doon sa binaybay natin 'yung Cagayan River, ang mga community. Talagang may mga nakatira doon sa mga easement sa gilid ng Cagayan River,” he said.

“Kaya ang aming plano diyan, talagang tanggalin 'yun para maprotektahan natin 'yung riverbanks doon. Kailangan lagyan natin ng mga tanim,” he added.

Floods hit Cagayan and Isabela last week during the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses. Many people were stranded on rooftops for days without food and water as they waited to be rescued. The release of water by Magat Dam was also seen as a contributing factor to the flooding.

Leones also said kaingin activities and the farming of corn near Cagayan River were factors that also contributed to the flooding. He said corn cannot actually hold water.

“Ang problema natin hindi lang logging, kaingin-making. ‘Yung encroachment. So dapat makontrol natin ‘yung mga taong galing sa kapatagan pumupunta ng south forest, doon na sila tumitira,” he said.

“Unti-unti, akala mo lang namamasyal pero talagang doon na sila naninirahan at nagkakaroon ng farming diyan,” he added.

Other suggestions

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade has suggested reforestation and dredging of Cagayan River be done.

A geologist also said Cagayan River, the longest river in the Philippines, should be widened to prevent massive flooding in the future.

Dr. Fernando Siringan, former director of the UP Marine Science Institute, noted that while Cagayan River is 400 meters wide at its widest, it is only around 180 meters wide in the area of Alcala, Cagayan since typhoons have brought down sedimentary rocks, reducing the river’s coverage.

A study of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) also showed that some parts of Cagayan River which were previously five to six feet meters deep now have a depth of less than two meters, causing easy flooding.

The MGB recommended authorities to conduct dredging to solve the problem. 

Cagayan and Isabela were both placed under state of calamity even before President Rodrigo Duterte placed the entire Luzon under such state. —KG, GMA News