A concerned Pidjanga reader wrote me and made an extra mile of doing a research on Google Maps and identified potential solutions to help address the annual flooding (guob) in Lake Mainit. I am touched by his interest and would like to convey my personal thanks to you, dear "regular visitor". He is a European, married to a Mainitnon. Here's an excerpt of his research:
Toliago, in the southeastern part of the lake, has a fork-shaped split-up Pugu river. The short arm goes to the lake, and the longer arm of the river flows near Jabonga southward to the ocean.LMDA Manager Engr Kaiser Recabo (salamat Mano Onyot for the New Year reply!!!), sent the original plans of the LMDA and highlighted the most immediate doable ones. Here are excerpts of his reply:
In my opinion, the arm of the river that flows to the Lake can be deviated directly to the ocean. It would be enough to mitigate or even avoid flood. One or two dams can be made and we can both ask the Philippine Government or even other organizations like Australian organisations.
Flooding (guob) is a perennial problem that we are hoping to solve. You are right with your comment about the current situation. Toliago is actually Cuyago, a barangay of the Municipality of Jabonga, where Puyo River (google maps needs updating) flows through. Puyo River basin is the biggest watershed and tributary of the lake. It splits (fork-shape) at Sitio Apa-apa, Bangonay, Jabonga, as Puyo River and Bangonay River. There is a dam constructed by the DPWH to control the flow of the river and directs its flow to the Lake via Barangay Cuyago. This avoids interaction with Kalinawan River, where Bangonay River flows on a perpendicular confluence creating a backflow to the Lake (contributory to the Lake flooding). Unfortunately, the dam was a failurebecause of the erratic and strong movement of the river.Pidjanga notes: Most of us are away from our beloved lake... but we can help. Join in and make your voice. Let the people hear, let our officials hear our advocacies.
LMDA had coordinated with the concerned agencies like the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) and the Cotabato-Agusan River Basin Development Project (CARBDP) which are now doing the flood control projects of Agusan River in Butuan City. Lake Mainit is among the least priority by the National Government. But as as soon as the flood control project in Butuan City finishes, CARBDP "may" target Lake Mainit as their next project.
LMDA has conducted a survey and denudation mapping. We have discussed the proposed action plan and possible mitigating measures. Same issue, the Local Government units DO NOT HAVE FUNDS.
Some temporary solutions have been implemented including the dredging of the Kalinawan River at specific points with minimum funding. We estimate maximum cost for dredging at Php 10 million (US$ 250,000) only. With this, we made project proposals which include the following;
1. Deepening of the entire Kalinawan River, the only outlet of Lake Mainit.
2. Rechanneling of Puyo River to Bangonay River with support infrastructure to go along and not against the Kalinawan River.
3. Rechanneling of Aciga River in the municipality of Santiago, also to go along with Kalinawan River.
These proposals are still floating on the water waiting for the takers. (hope you can help!)
Other majors were already identified but it costs billions. These are:
1) Putting a dike around Lake Mainit. Although, this has environmental impact.
2) Digging a hole in the Malimono range which will discharge the excess water directly to Bohol Sea (Tambulayag area) and use the tunnel as Hydropower generating 22 megawatts of electricity. This will lower the water level by 3 meters. We had requested the CARBDP to conduct a feasibility study with the assistance of the Japanese consultant on what is the best and economical option to solve this flooding. The feasibility study alone (with a detailed plan) costs more than Php 10 million. The Kalinawan River has already a hydrographic and topographic survey conducted by CARBDP. The province of Agusan del Norte, which has jurisdiction of the area, is looking for means to initially come up with an alternative, albeit temporary, solutions.
3) The longterm but effective solution is the massive reforestation of the watershed. This will lessen flashflood and erosion resulting to siltation of rivers.
As of now LMDA is implementing environmental project funded by the Philippine Australia Community Assistance Program (PACAP), one of the facility of AusAID.
We can also continue our Tree Planting project. The Bangkal (freshwater mangroove) has shown strengths in surviving the flooding and so has it's potential of contributing to the long-term solution identified by LMDA - reforestation of the watersheds.
Let's STOP the quarrying! Not just limit the area. There is such thing as moratorium. We have done that in Mount Apo. I joined the last climb of the millennium (Dec 1999- Jan 2000) before the moratorium of 5 years to allow the sacred mountain to heal.
You have your solutions... go, payts Pidjanga!
[View here the economic cost of the 2006 Lake Mainit flood]
Post: Zimm (www.pidjanga.blogspot.com)
Crossposting: http://www.bisayabloggers.com/; http://zimmbodilion.multiply.com/journal
2 comments:
The yearly guob
(A different perspective)
For what I have observed , mainit lake’s natural rise and ebbing is not flooding as mainitnons sees or defines it, but an often misunderstood natural- water level- lake management all its own. Typical example for this is the amazon river’s outlying parched plains that stretches south America or Africa’s Kalahari desert’s watering hole during its dry months (or summer ‘s onset) which suddenly transforms and swell in disproportionate incorrigible bodies of water . to a layman, it’s pretty hard to comprehend why it is happening and religious as the folks are, often becomes a tool for finger pointing..
The only difference with Mainit’s , is the fact that the frequency is not as regular or irregular as it is (certain months of the year), but certainly to a point and right timing, intertwined (with variance in magnitude) with the global forces of nature acting- on and reacting to it, these often times, unusual or abnormal phenomenon becomes an endemic problem unique to the place. All too often blamed to entities that wreck havoc to the environment, though I’m not saying, that it never was a contributing factor.
And it goes with the saying that what were once prey during those times becomes preyed upon when scenario is reversed. (ex. The piranha preys upon the animals that criss-cross the river banks and ponds when the water is at its might and becomes fodder when the banks dry up (river beds) and fall hapless when no water abounds. (in mainit, we earn a living from the lakes pidjangas though not quite literally, and when the water level rises, the lake takes it’s toll (on Pidjangas)to the inhabitants surrounding it.
I have made some research on this subject for quite sometime and only now that I had the chance to contribute a few cents worth of my thoughts for Mainitnons to view it differently. Comments that I’ve made in your cbox /labjog/ syagit sometime last year (as h-mantayon) and post some questions to experts in the field of environmental studies who came up awash with curious and very surprising analysis….Part of what it has arrived at is the fact that (we) humans sees it as flooding (the place)…but in reality, we are encroaching, if not trespassing its natural boundaries of expansion when the swelling tide time comes.
When you post/ed that question of how can we solve it? My mind began to wander as to what is/are the most compelling issue/s that needs to be addressed.
1) Do Pidjanga’s really have to face the problem head-on?
2) With what resources? Money ? Technology? Politically? or by council mandate to move the town’s habitable boundaries farther from the shoreline to known higher elevations that have minimal flooding. And buy back those land parcels for a Lake management authority to decide for its best use.
3) Would installing underground aquifers in the outlying shorelines’ plains & adjacent sandy beaches of the lakeshore be feasible with a grant, and funnel /inject this excess water into this silo-like structures and avail of this source of water to feed a year round efficient irrigation system in the region or as source of potable drinking water (after filtration of course) as a first step? And generate funds?
4) Planting trees do have potential for holding water but very limited (as the study suggested) and with flash floods being inherent to a tropical place like the Philippines, all studies has alluded to, that it can only manifest itself to a certain degree and partially control erosion and siltation in some portions but not for quantifiably huge amount of water in so short a time and hang on to defeat the flooding issue.
5) Erecting levees, berms or dikes only controls certain areas deemed of prime importance and not the entire periphery of the lake… and as soon as it goes beyond those flood stage levels, the destruction is far greater than what your annual guob is giving you (headache)… (blog about the new Orleans breach on levees and berms ).
6) Territorial boundaries and who has control of it,( mining, fishing, etc.) is not even part of this equation yet and who would compromise what, and where, and when, makes this situation complicated and far more greater than the perennial flooding you are facing.
Bottom line, it’s either Mainitnons should live with it or forget about it’s so called ancestral home sites and hunker themselves up to higher grounds …Perhaps it’s a dream Mainitnons or Pidjangas for that matter could only wish for, for now, and may not happen in it’s present lifetime…
This is just a comment and never a perfect one… other solutions or concepts may hold a possibility, and that I am not sure.. ..thanks in advance fo
LMDA…. (Part III) A Different Perspective…
What inspired LMDA to exist? Or better yet, what clout does it hold? Perhaps maybe the best tangible question is, Will it assert its eminent domain powers to preserve and conserve Lake mainit? Or just plain observe? Simply put, will it maintain and sustain or rather be mundane of its (lake’s) existence.
The way it evolve at the onset ,( for a start) was clearly in a positive and purposeful direction, but what it seem lacking are the virtues and the mechanics by which it can subjugate as an Authority of Sorts that can manifest itself or be able to implement (the) pre existing laws that the Philippines have in practically all aspects of government and harness such to limit, promulgate, direct or even reverse, the undeterred havoc it slowly but surely create to that point of no return when it becomes apparent, then come to realize the irreversible and costly mistake (environmentally, etc.) it waited or bounds to happen.
Now the big question is, how do we (or mainitnons) make it happen? my best guess is to make the area and its outlying boundaries that affects it a quasi-autonomous region! When? The sooner the better. Now, how will you convince the local people to accept (embrace) the plan? Am sure this is very ambitious and deep. And that is to pass it as a proposition in the coming election…does it have any ulterior motive in any side of any political party? I don’t think so! but will its passage be beneficial to the local people in general? I believe “Absolutely” is an understatement.
Now to explain this in detail requires a lot of space in your site, but to name a few… one is the mining industry …all laws that govern mining will be implemented but all under the umbrella of the LMDA or whatever you want to call it, and the way the LMDA (or whatever) was created, has to answer a few guidelines that runs parallel to the questions similar to, what Rotary international addresses, and a lot more… , so as the guiding principle will not be lost in any argument or debate that ensues and whatever machinations and schemes people have to their best selfish interest have no place in it and will be exposed rightfully so. Fishing is another issue and so the fisheries and all its allied department will do its job and again be under the umbrella of the LMDA and the beauty it offers is that the LMDA will be a one-stop-shop for anyone to do business with and refer to, with all the check and balances addressed as it comes about….Boats/bancas tha t ply the lakes and rivers will fall under the coast guard as one example and make sure that safe passage and passenger limits , etc. will be instituted strictly….and so on and so forth….tourism, planting of rice forest products or other stuff that fall under any government authority that exist will all be addressed by one office whose performance is based not on social ratings, but on the amount of business it can muster to alleviate the area as a whole and Preserve and Conserve the surroundings in the process. In other words, a sound economic, environmental and ecological balance…is it doable? I believe so… again this is just a mere suggestion and perhaps, just perhaps, someone from out there in pidjanga country has better ideas than what I have in mind… thanks again…
Hemantayon from Surigao city/LA
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