SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur—The heavy rains brought about by the trough of a Low-Pressure Area (LPA) outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) have displaced thousands of individuals in Agusan del Sur prompting the province to declare a state of calamity.
On January 31, 2024, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in the Province of Agusan del Sur approved the declaration after several towns were overwhelmed by flooding.
“It was Governor Santiago Cane Jr.’s recommendation to place the entire province under a state of calamity due to widespread flooding caused by continuous heavy rains attributed to the effects of the Shear line, Northeast Monsoon, and the current trough of the Low-Pressure Area,” said Vice Governor Samuel Tortor during the provincial special session.
According to the report of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) of Agusan del Sur, 1,368 families have been affected by the flooding in Rosario across the seven barangays, while 74 families in Trento are affected from two barangays.
Agusan del Sur Board Member Edwin Elorde pointed out that 923 families or 2,000 individuals in Bunawan town are currently taking shelter in three evacuation centers in the municipality.
Department of Social Welfare and Development-Caraga said they distributed an initial 7,832 food packs to the affected families in Bunawan, Agusan del Sur, on Wednesday.
Liza Mazo, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Caraga chief, pointed out that the situation was aggravated by the heavy rains that soaked the entire province, brought by the shear line, that earlier hit parts of Davao and Agusan provinces on January 16 and lasted until January 21.
“Several villages in Agusan del Sur, like in the towns of Veruela, Loreto and San Agustin, were already flooded around the third week of January; the rain almost didn’t stop and the waters coming from the flooded municipalities in Davao de Oro further added to the already growing waters of the area’s river basin,” said Mazo.
Mazo, who inspected the affected areas on February 1, was clearly aghast at how massive the flooding has become.
“We’ve seen the massive devastation and how vast the flooding in several of the barangays and towns that we’ve visited, which is just a smaller area compared to how large the reports that are still coming in from the other barangays and their respective towns. We are further coordinating with the provincial risk reduction management offices and with the DSWD for their help and support to those affected by the flood,” said Mazo.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council’s latest report dated February 1, the trough of the LPA has affected a total of 19,183 families or 65,871 individuals across Region XI and Caraga in 21 municipalities, displacing a total of 34, 227 individuals.
Robbed of planting season
“Looking at the flooded field, it’s a pity and sad that hundreds of hectares here had been flooded. Several of the rice fields had just been planted, while some, like myself, had just planted our rice seedlings,” expressed Raquel Daluyo, a 44-year-old farmer in Prosperidad town.
Provincial Agriculturist Armando G. Valiente revealed that of the total area (14,851 hectares) planted to rice in the province, some 6,499.5 hectares are affected, accounting for 43.7 percent. The most impacted stages are the seeding and vegetative stages, with the highest age of rice still at one month.
“The flooded crops are primarily rice and corn, according to reports from municipal agriculturists and initial monitoring. All areas, except the municipality of Sibagat, have experienced flooding. Among the 12 municipalities, none have been spared from the inundation,” Valiente said.
“With this data showing a significant 43.7 percent of the planted area affected, based on the memorandum circular serving as the basis for assessing agricultural damage or livelihood, a minimum requirement of 30 percent is needed to declare a state of calamity,” he added.
Alex Escabardo, Public Information Officer of Agusan del Sur, said that an estimated P28 million worth of rice seedlings in the town of Veruela were damaged after they got flooded and covered with mud.
With reports still coming in from the barangays, the provincial agriculture office expects the figures on crop damage to rise as the flooding continues.
Agusan River Basin status
ACCORDING to the Agusan River Basin Flood Forecasting and Warning Center’s latest advisory, the water level along upstream and midstream Agusan River along the towns of Veruela and Bunawan is still at above critical level.
Water levels along several bridges in the towns of Rosario, La Paz and Bayugan City were reported to be at critical levels, while Talacogon town and Butuan City reported that water levels are rising fast, spurring fears that flooding could reach areas in the city of Butuan.
“The trough of the low-pressure area outside PAR brought a significant amount of rainfall over Agusan River Basin since Monday. In the next hours and tomorrow, the trough of this low-pressure area will still bring scattered moderate to heavy rain showers and thunderstorms over the Agusan River Basin and neighboring areas. Flooding and rain-induced landslides are still expected in areas that received significant amounts of rainfall since Monday. The rising water level along Agusan River and tributary rivers is still expected during the forecast period,” the advisory said.
Image credits: Erwin M. Mascariñas