ZAMBOANGA CITY - - The City
Agriculturist Office has acted with dispatch in distributing vegetable seeds
including fingerlings to farmers and fishpond operators affected by the Sept. 1
flooding in Mina Curuan.
City Agriculturist Diosdado Palacat said
while damage to agricultural and fishpond products were very minimal, the
farmers were immediately provided with vegetable seeds to replace their damaged
crops.
Palay seeds will be distributed during the
planting season.
Based on Palacat’s record, a hectare of the
total 12 hectare rice field in Mina, Curuan was affected by the floods. Damage
to vegetable products was also very minimal.
For fishponds, 12 hectares (6 hectares in
Mina, Curuan and 6 hectares in Quiniput) were affected but only 5% of the total
catch, barely 1-3 months old, were washed away by the floods, according to
Palacat.
Total area for fishponds in Curuan and
Quiniput is 97 hectares.
“The damage was very minimal but we
immediately provided the necessary assistance to our farmers”, Palacat said.
Most if not all of the 7 farmers affected
will also be included in the list of beneficiaries to the financial assistance
that the city government will be giving after assessment by the City Social
Welfare and Development Office.
The flashfloods in Curuan, which reached
waist deep, was brought about by torrential and incessant rains in mountains.
Mayor
Celso Lobregat along with Councilors Rudy Lim, Mike Alavar and Myra Paz
Abubakar sped off to Curuan immediately after being informed of the
flashfloods, to personally look into the situation as well as to supervise the
rescue and relief operations.
Lobregat has instructed the activation of the
rescue team of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council causing the
dispatch of Philippine Air Force and Coast Guard rubber boats, personnel from
the police, Red Cross, Bureau of Fire Protection and Zamcelco to the area.
The
City Social Welfare and Development Office under Francisco Barredo distributed
water, bread, sardines, rice and other foodstuff to the affected victims.
The
grant of financial assistance to the victims will be in addition to the relief
and food assistance immediately provided to the affected families.
Six
houses made of light materials were swept away while 2 houses were partially
damaged by gushing waters from the swollen Curuan river following torrential
rains in the mountains.
Barredo
also reported that 194 families with a total of 776 dependents were affected by
the sudden rise in the water in various sitios in Curuan and the neighboring
area of Quiniput. (JPA/SC/CIO/PIA9-ZBST)
