ROXAS City — The agricultural damage caused by tropical depression “Quinta” in Capiz amounted to P461,251,664, the Provincial Agriculturist’s Office said.
Some 16,974 hectares of rice, mostly on vegetative and maturity stages, worth some P454,625,118 were damaged, Provincial Agriculturist Sylvia dela Cruz said in an assessment report that she recently submitted to Gov. Victor Tanco Sr.
Meanwhile, about 1,193 hectares of corn worth P6,616,664 were destroyed, dela Cruz said.
Eleven municipalities were placed under a state of calamity after flash floods hit them during the onslaught of “Quinta.”
They were Cuartero, Dao, Dumalag, Dumarao, Maayon, Mambusao, Panay, Panitan, Pontevedra, Sigma and Tapaz.
The number of families affected by floods reached 14,577 or 54,962 individuals, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) said.
The Metro Roxas Water District earlier stopped providing water to households in Roxas City and Panay, Panitan and Ivisan towns amid the flooding.
The water district then said it cannot treat the water from its source, the Panay River, which had been contaminated with silt.
Floods caused by heavy rains brought by “Quinta” reached the Panay River, bringing with it soil from mountainous areas in the 2nd District.
Pushing through with the treatment could damage the water treatment plant facilities, Engr. Glen Delgado, the water district’s general manager, explained.
But the water district resumed its operations days later.
Amid the weather disturbance two weeks ago, two residents of Dumalag died of drowning — Franklin Fadriga, 34, and Christian Olivar, 15, both of Brgy. Sto. Angel.
Jhonary Derecho, a resident of Brgy. Alabidhan, Bingawan, Iloilo, also died in Capiz, the PDRRMC said.
He drowned after a strong floodwater current swept him and his friend while they were traversing a flooded road in Brgy. Switch, Tapaz onboard a motorcycle. His friend survived.(FELIPE CELINO/PN)
