DA bats for engineering initiatives to protect farmlands from flooding

Department of Agriculture Secretary William Dar suggested engineering interventions in the Cagayan River and reforestation in watersheds to protect farm lands from flooding.

He made the statement days after Cagayan and Isabela provinces were flooded when the Cagayan River swelled as Typhoon Ulysses dumped heavy rainfall over Luzon, prompting the release of excess water from Magat Dam.

“We need engineering here, interventions. At the same time, we need to reforest in a big way our watersheds,” Dar said in an interview on ANC on Thursday.

“Otherwise,  year-in, year-out na itong problema na ito. Ito  ang aming suggestion. Hoping as the engineering intervention would start now, such as dredging. We should also start reforesting,” he added.

Aside from planting forest trees, Dar said trees with economic importance such as fruit-bearing and bamboos should also be considered for reforestation.

Likewise, he suggested prioritizing the reforestation in the areas of 18 watersheds to make sure that farm lands near dams will not be affected by flooding during their discharge of water.

He noted that the proposed intervention would take time and funding to before being fully accomplished.

According to Dar, these recommendations were already advised to President Rodrigo Duterte and the majority of the Cabinet members.

As of Wednesday morning, Dar said the total agricultural damage recorded after the onslaught of weather disturbances Quinta, Rolly, and Ulysses was at P12.3 billion.

The most affected regions are Cagayan Valley, Bicol, Calabarzon, and Mimaropa. —LBG, GMA News