North Cotabato Governor Nancy Catamco has welcomed the proposed Mindanao River Basin Project (MRBP) by the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) to address the recurring flood problem in the province and the 220,000-hectare Liguasan marsh.

The MRBP covers 21 sub-basins on the island of Mindanao, including the Pulangi River that was seen by experts as the cause of the flooding of Mindanao’s lowlands and marshlands.

Catamco, who met with MinDA Policy Planning and Project Development Officer Joey Recimilla here Saturday, ordered the creation of a technical working group to strengthen the province’s participation in the project.

“I strongly support this comprehensive project and local government units must be involved from planning to actual implementation and its possible impact on the agriculture sector,” she said in a statement.

Catamco will host the Mindanao River Basin Management Council meeting on November 27, to be led by MinDA chair, Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, at the provincial Capitol here.

A huge portion of North Cotabato lies within the Liguasan marshland, which is regularly submerged in floodwater when the Pulangi River overflows.

Piñol has been batting for a more comprehensive anti-flood program through massive tree-planting in the balding forests of Mindanao as a long-term program, as well as the dredging of heavily silted rivers and waterways in many parts of the island. (PNA)

Photo Credit: www.pia.gov.ph