3,000 Families Displaced by Floods in Maguindanao Town

Tacurong City — Almost 3,000 families in remote villages of Sultan sa Barongis, Maguindanao have been affected as floods from South Cotabato reached the Maguindanao marshland Thursday, local disaster officials said.

According to Humanitarian Emergency Action Response Team (HEART) of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), about 12 barangays were affected and 2,913 families or about 18,000 individuals displaced as of 4 p.m. Thursday.

The floods that submerged low-lying villages of Sultan sa Barongis came from the upland towns of Tupi, Tampakan, Norala, Banga and Koronadal City, passing through the huge Kapingkong and Ala rivers.

Flood water from South Cotabato is expected to reach low lying towns in Maguindanao in two to three days before exiting to the Moro Gulf through Tamontaka River and Rio Grande de Mindanao.

No casualty was reported in Sultan sa Barongis, the next town from Lambayong in Sultan Kudarat.

Lambayong’s four villages were submerged by floods when the Ala river overflowed Wednesday afternoon, displacing thousands of villagers and destroying a hanging bridge.

Mayor Florante Agduma of Lambayong today convened the municipal disaster risk reduction and management council to ensure prompt government action on affected families and repair and rehabilitation of a vital infrastructure the connects the town center to at least five villages.

The hanging bridge in Barangay Napipisan collapsed Tuesday, cutting off the transport of people and goods.

Agduma said a 70-meter long concrete flood control project along the Ala River was also destroyed by floods.

He said the Kapinkong-Napipisan dike was totally damaged with only about one meter long concrete barrier remaining.

At least 2,000 families or 10,000 persons have been affected by the sudden rise of Ala river that cut through Lambayong villages before reaching the Maguindanao marshland.

Agduma said the short but heavy down pour at 4 p.m. Thursday in Tacurong City and South Cotabato could further endanger the lives of people in Lambayong because the town served as catch basin of floods from South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat upland municipalities.

He said Sultan Kudarat Governor Teng Mangudadatu has vowed to augment the local fund for the repair of the affected farm to market roads and hanging bridge as well as emergency food assistance to affected families. (PNA) LAP/NYP/EOF