By Edwin O. Fernandez
COTABATO CITY, Oct. 8 (PNA) — Two major government projects, designed to prevent devastating floods in Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat provinces, is nearing completion in Maguindanao, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Central Mindanao said Thursday.
The two flood control projects, which have a combined funding of Php202 million, are being built in Buluan River, both in Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat side.
The lake, known to be major source of Mindanao’s fresh water fish products such as “Tilapia,” straddles the eastern side of Maguindanao and northern side of Sultan Kudarat.
The projects, according to DPWH-12 regional director Reynaldo Tamayo, is being implemented in partnership with DPWH in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DPWH-ARMM).
It includes construction and maintenance of flood control mitigation project amounting to Php132 million and the drainage systems costing Php160 million.
It aims to prevent major floods to hit parts of Maguindanao and parts of Sultan Kudarat in the event the Buluan lake overflows during heavy down pour.
Water from the lake cascades toward Buluan River and Lutayan river in Sultan Kudarat and may overflow toward the rice fields and communities of two adjacent provinces.
Aside from flood mitigating structures, the project also included clearing the river system of water hyacinth.
“These projects clearly showed the government prioritizes programs that benefit the people, especially the farmers who are primary producers of Filipinos’ staple food,” Tamayo said in a statement.
The DPWH-12 Maintenance Division reported that the flood mitigation project was already 79.86 percent. It is expected to be completed by Dec. 16 this year. On the other hand, the drainage system project is 60.54 percent complete and to be completed by May 2016. (PNA)