Davao Oriental readies for La Niña

MATI CITY, DAVAO ORIENTAL– The Provincial Government of Davao Oriental is gearing up in preparation for the coming of the rainy season.

In an executive order recently issued by Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon, all city and municipality mayors and punong barangays here in the province have been tasked to convene their respective Local Disaster Risk

Reduction and Management Councils to prepare a La Niña Action Plan.

“The La Niña advisory has already been issued so there is a need for preparedness,” said Governor Malayaon following the Department of Interior and Local Government’s advisory on the impending La Niña phenomenon through Memorandum Circular 2016-74 addressed to all chief executives, advising them to take precautionary measures.

“According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA), the current El Niño is already in its decaying stage. Meanwhile, there is a developing La Niña during the second half of 2016,” says the memorandum.

In response, Gov. Malanyaon has ordered the local chief executives and officials to‘consider the clearing and reinforcement of existing natural or man-made drainage systems, including rivers and creeks, to ease out the flow of flood water away from settlement areas’. She also asked them to consider the activation of existing or construction of new rainwater catchment facilities to store rainwater for future use.

She directed the officials to closely coordinate with PAG-ASA for timely weather updates and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) for adequate information on the threat of flooding and rainfall-induced landslides, especially in sloping and low-lying areas.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education (DepEd) has been tasked to institutionalize information and education campaign and encourage schools to initiate actions for La Niña.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), which shall act as focal office for the Provincial La Niña preparation, has already laid out its action plan.

Engr. JesusaTimbang, PDRRMO Head, presented the province’s action plan during the recent joint meeting of the Provincial Peace and Order Council, Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council, and Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

She listed several interventions and precautionary measures that would help lessen the impact of the La Niña through short, medium and long-term mitigation programs and preparedness. Among these interventions are the implementation of mitigating measures such as dredging of canals, clean-up drives, distillation of river beds, and improvement of drainage canals, among many others.

Meanwhile, she also stressed the need to prepare the public down to the grassroots level by increasing their level of awareness, particularly on the issue of climate change. She said increased awareness, more than anything, would help reduce the risk of loss of lives and properties in times of disasters.(KLD, PIO DavOr)