An official of the Office of Civil Defense 11 (OCD 11) confirmed on Monday that massive drainage problems have caused heavy flooding in Davao Region despite the absence of shearline, Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), and typhoon.
OCD 11 Director Ednar Dayanghirang said that when he visited flood-prone areas in Davao Region, he saw that the problem was massive drainage systems.
“I found out that ang pagbaha karon bisan walay typhoon, walay tropical storm, walay shearline, is still flooding is because of the massive drainage problem. Adunay community sa Panabo City, akong giadtuan also sa City of Mati, Tagum City in Brgy. Magdum, adunay kanal pero I think mali ang pagkahimo, padulong sa mga tao ang tubig imbes palayo sa mga tao. Naistorya nako ang barangay kagawad mismo siya ang nag contract sa maong project, sementado ang kanal apan pag-abot sa tubig padulong sa mga tao,” Dayanghirang said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao.
Last month, flooding and landslide incidents occurred in some parts of Davao Region due to the effects of the ITCZ. The incidents happened in some municipalities in Davao Occidental, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental.
In Davao Occidental, the towns of Malita, which has affected 9,058 families or 33,607 people, and Don Marcelino have been placed under a state of calamity following flooding and landslides that hit the areas during last week of 2024.
“Different pud ang Davao Occidental, in our aerial survey I saw that ang Malita ug Don Marcelino is surrounded by mountains nga didto mibagsak ang tubig padulong sa river kung asa lapad ang pagbaha. Ten times seguro mag-increase ang tubig from the river bed naturally nag-overflow sa community, naguba ang infrastructure,” Dayanghirang said.
Dayanghirang also mentioned the flooding in Barangay Bato, Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur last year due to a localized thunderstorm wherein a total of 1,000 families or 5,000 persons were affected.
He said when he visited Brgy. Bato it was found out that the drainage of the national road was already silted with gravel, sand, and garbage.
“Gitawag nako ang brgy. captain ug ang DPWH, nakit-an namo ang national road adunay kanal pero barado kay puro na bato, buhangin ug puro basura. Mao tung news na almost 2 hours wala’y makaagi sa Brgy. Bato. Sulti sa kapitan kung kuhaon lang ang basura ug ang bato, musulod ang tubig sa ilang kanal ug ma-drain ang tubig properly. I negotiated with DPWH through the regional office and we agreed nga himoon na nila,” he said.
According to Dayanghirang, there are a total of 2,600 flood and landslide-prone areas in Davao Region.
He also said that it is his thrust to work with the local chief executives in the region to address drainage problems.
On Saturday night, Matina Pangi and Calinan District experienced heavy flooding due to heavy downpour in the hinterland of the city. Balusong Bridge in Matina was temporary closed to traffic after the river overflowed, which caused knee-high flood in some residential areas in Matina Aplaya.
