Davao Region

More rain-caused landslides damage roads in Davao Region

Ferdinand Zuasola

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More rain-caused landslides damage roads in Davao Region

LANDSLIDE. Rocks and mud fall on a road sections of a road during a landslide in Mati City in Davao Oriental on Sunday, January 29.

Mati City Information Office

The state weather bureau Pagasa says a shear line – the point where cold and warm air meet – continues to cause inclement weather in many parts in Mindanao

DAVAO ORIENTAL, Philippines – More destructive landslides triggered by heavy rains forced road section closures and evacuation of several villages in Davao and Mati cities, leaving many commuters and motorists inconvenienced and stranded, and infrastructure damaged since Saturday, January 29.

Alfredo Baloran, the head of Davao City’s disaster risk reduction and management office, said villages in three administrative districts of Davao City were affected by landslides that occurred from Saturday through Sunday.

“These landslide-hit villages are not on fault lines. It was the non-stop heavy rain that caused the landslides,” Baloran told Rappler on Sunday, January 29.

Landslides hit the Malabog-Paquibato Road in the Paquibato District. 

Baloran said the affected roads were only passable to light vehicles.

In Sitio Pangyan, Barangay Tamugan in Marilog District, landslides rendered the roads impassable to all types of vehicles.

Road closures were also enforced in Barangay Megkawayan in the Calinan District due to road collapses, Baloran said.

Baloran said road-clearing operations by the city engineering office were ongoing on Sunday. 

The city government has installed early warning signages on the roads of landslide-hit villages and prohibited four-wheel vehicles from passing through the areas to avoid accidents.

Baloran said the Davao City government provided alternate routes in the landslide-hit villages which are among the city’s food basket. 

He said the city engineering office was still assessing the extent of damage to infrastructure caused by the series of landslides.

In Mati City, the provincial capital of Davao Oriental province, a landslide also hit a national road in Barangay Badas late Saturday, January 28. 

The hillside road in Badas, which is a tourist area, is the only road that directly connects Davao Oriental to the regional center, Davao City.

In a statement, the Mati City government said road-clearing operations by personnel of the city disaster risk reduction and management office were ongoing and advised the commuting public to take caution when crossing the road.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said a shear line – the point where cold and warm air meet – has continued to cause inclement weather in many parts in Mindanao.

As of 8 am on Monday, January 30, it warned of heavy rainfall and raised the “yellow warning” level in eastern Misamis Oriental, Agusan del Norte, Camiguin, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur.

The warning means that these areas could see 37,500 to 75,000 drums of rain per square kilometer, which could trigger more flooding and landslides.

Pagasa said the shear line could also spawn occasionally heavy rain in parts of Bukidnon, Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro, Davao Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Zamboanga del Norte, and nearby areas.

Moderate rain is also forecast in some parts of the Bangsamoro region. – Rappler.com

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