2020 Megaflood in Cagayan

CAGAYAN UNDER WATER: NOVEMBER 2020 MEGAFLOOD
Ely D. Cancejo-Banan
The flooding that occurred in Cagayan on the night of November 12, 2020 constituted
a major recent meteorological disaster in the Philippines. Typhoon Ulysses (international
name Vamco) left Cagayan submerged as water in Cagayan River rose significantly and
overflowed. The calamity has left 120, 172 families devastated due to huge losses in
properties and livelihood [ CITATION Pro20 \l 1033 ]. Magat dam water release, extreme
deforestation due to illegal logging, heavy rains brought by four previous typhoons prior to
Ulysses, and the current status of Cagayan River Basin are the major factors that contributed
in what is now known as the “worst flooding” in Cagayan Valley in decades.
The Cagayan River and its tributaries are subject to extensive flooding during the
monsoon season in Southeast Asia from May to October. The average annual rainfall is
1,000 millimetres (39 in) in the northern part and 3,000 millimetres (120 in) in the southern
mountains where the river's headwaters lie [ CITATION JAP02 \l 1033 ] . According to the
Climate-Responsive Integrated River Basin Master Plan for Cagayan River Basin [CITATION
UPL17 \l 1033 ], the water surface level in year 2020 is about 5 m higher than that of in the
current climate condition with 2-yr return period. This resulted to wider flood extents for the
2020 scenario.
The most recent typhoon rarely affected the area in terms of storm intensity, albeit
still contributed in the flooding. PAGASA’s Sierra Madre monitoring station recorded the
highest amount of rainfall from Ulysses at 365mm, relatively lesser than Ondoy (454.9mm),
which struck Metro Manila with flash floods back in 2009. Other weather system that
affected the province during the recent November typhoon is the tail-end of a cold front
(shear line) which brought heavy rains in the over Cagayan including Babuyan Islands. Five
municipalities (Abulug, Claveria, Pamplona, Sta Praxedes and Sanchez Mira) including
Camiguin Island and Fuga Island were already experiencing floods and landslide prior to the
onslaught of Ulysses. Continuous rainfall throughout the region starting from October to
November 2020 has left the soil in mainland Cagayan saturated, thus, unable to withstand the
excessive amount of rainfall and caused flooding. The flood lasted for almost two weeks
caused by the significantly low discharge capacity of the river (2,000 m3/s from Tuguegaro
to the river mouth) compared to the 2-year probable flood discharge of 6,400 and the 100
year probable discharge of 21,400 cubic meters per second respectively. Floodwater flow
down very slowly because of surface retention over the extensive flood plain, extremely
gentle slope of the Cagayan River and the retardation of floodwater due to the constriction
called Magapit Narrows and meandering river. The effect of the rising of the water caused by
the constricted Magapit Narrows resulted to the shifting of the river course from its original
alignment at the present alluvial plain extending from Alcala to Tuguegarao City in the
province of Cagayan. Similarly, this meandering behavior naturally produced gentle slope
gradient of the river bed, thus retarding the floodwater flow.
The geomorphologic characteristics of Cagayan River have adverse effects in the

recent and past flooding. There is a narrow stretch, so called the Magapit Narrows with the
river width of about 300m in a reach between 30 km and 70 km upstream from the river
mouth. The Lower Cagayan has a narrow river width section from 30 km to 70 km from the
river mouth so called Magapit Narrows. Since the upstream reach of the Magapit Narrows
has a gentle water surface slope due to a backwater by the Narrows, river meandering is
significant causing the movement of the river course, such that the river course near Iguig has
moved about 5 km for the past 50 years. On the other hand, it may be said that the riverbed
elevation is rather stable without much change in the Lower Cagayan River, although slight
rising of riverbed has been observed in the reach between the Magapit Bridge and the
confluence of the Tuguegarao River with the Cagayan River. Average riverbed fluctuation in
each part (lower, lower middle, upper middle and upper) of Cagayan River is stable enough,
although slight aggradations of riverbed are recognized in the lower middle and upper parts.
Since the discharge capacity of the Cagayan River is very small, floodings have occurred
frequently and the basin people residing along the river have suffered from flood damage.
Bank erosion is also serious in various places of the main Cagayan and its tributaries. The
DPWH Regional Office currently lists 73 erosion prone sites, exposing infrastructure,
villages, urban and agriculture areas to destructive damage. Annual erosion rates at the 73
sites vary from 28 meters to 6 meters [ CITATION NED06 \l 1033 ]. The absence of deep rooted
trees that are vital in the stabilization of bank and necessary in the retardation of the velocity
of flood waters contributes to the destructive erosion and sudden flooding particularly at the
downstream areas. Sedimentation due to collapsed mountain slopes is also remarkable in the
area, particularly in the upper Magat River Basin including the Santa Cruz River, Balilim
River and Santa Fe River. The sediment deposited in the said rivers was estimated to have
reached 1 to 6 m after the 1990 earthquake. This land collapse as well as severe basin erosion
has increased tremendously the sediment deposits in the Magat Dam estimated at about 188
million m3 in 1999 or 67.8% of the dam’s dead storage capacity (JICA, 2002).
Deforestation is also being regarded as one of the long-term major cause of extreme
flooding in Cagayan. Besides the loss of biodiversity, other factors generated by deforestation
are landslides and the increase of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere. Although the main
factor that generates flash floods is a climatic one, the hydrological response is a very
different one, which depends heavily on the geographical characteristics of the area, such as
the slope, soil texture, land use, rock permeability, etc. (Sorocovschi, 2003). An important
change in the normal run off of water on slopes is caused by deforestation. Previous studies
(Suryatmojo, 2014, FAO, 2011) show that the loss of forest increases soil erosion and the
flow of streams, reduces water quality and soil fertility. The forest cover of the Cagayan
River basin (based on the Lower Cagayan Flood Control Study in 2001) was estimated at
41%, a decrease from the 42.3% reported in the 1987 Master Plan Study for the whole basin.
The Forest Register also shows that 38% of the total forest area is olg-growth forest and 60%
is residual forest. The principal cause of forest destruction is the continued expansion of
slash-and-burn farming and small-scale legal and illegal logging activities. The Land
Limitations Map of Region 2 and CAR issued in 1995 by BSWM shows that the upper
Magat, upper Cagayan and upper Chico watersheds are moderate to severe erosion areas.
This is validated by reconnaissance survey carried out by air and land, where less forest cover
and denuded areas can be seen in the upper Magat and upper Cagayan watersheds. [ CITATION
NED06 \l 1033 ]
The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) was under assessment after the
Cagayan-Isabela flooding which came amid the belief among Cagayan Valley residents that
the Magat Dam water discharge caused the floods in Cagayan and Isabela as locals said areas
not usually experiencing floods were engulfed in waters as high as a two-story building. NIA
Administrator Ricardo Visaya clarified that prior to the release of water from the dam,
Buntun Bridge in Tuguegarao City has already reached alarm level at 8.16 m. The inflow of
water from rainfall brought by Ulysses all over the Cordilleras and Region II was recorded at
7, 128 m3/s, and the Magat outflow was at 6, 706 m3/s. The 2-3 days drawdown of water
from the dam preceding the typhoon was not able to flow regularly due to soil saturation and
heavy siltation of the Cagayan River. In defiance of the criticisms claimed by Cagayan
residents, the Magat River Basin contributes 15% of the total area in Cagayan River Basin.
The November 2020 flooding in Cagayan revealed vulnerabilities in the interaction of
the province’s fragile physical environment, miscommunication among concerned agencies,
and declining natural structure. Typhoon Ulysses constituted a triggering event, but the
severe destruction and heavy losses documented the extraordinary costs of inadequate plans
and practice, given the province’s high exposure to risk. This condition and its sobering
consequences are not limited to Cagayan, but constitute a silent threat for other municipalities
in the Philippines. The challenge for Cagayan is to create long-term measures and resilient
communities that are able to assess and manage their own risk in order to limit escalating
damage from extreme events.
REFERENCES:
1. FAO (2011) Assessing Forest Degradation: Towards the development of globally

applicable guidelines, FAO Forest Resources Assessment Working Paper, 177
2. JAPAN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGENCY. (2002). The Feasibility

Study of the Flood Control Project forthe Lower Cagayan River in the Republic of the
Philippines. NIPPON KOEI CO., LTD. .
3. NEDA. (2006). Cagayan Valley Flood Mitigation Master Plan CY 2006-2030.

Tuguegarao City.
4. Provincial Government of Cagayan. (2020). House Probe on Cagayan-Isabela

Flooding.
5. UPLB College of Forestry and Natural Resources. (2004). Climate-Responsive

Integrated Master Plan for Cagyan River Basin.
6. Sorocovschi V. (2003) Complexitatea teritorială a riscurilor şi catastrofelor, Riscuri

şi catastrofe, vol.II, Editor Sorocovschi V., Edit. Casa Cărţii de Ştiinţă, Cluj-Napoca.
39-48.
7. Suryatmojo H. (2014) Rainfall-runoff investigation of pine forest plantation in the

upstream area of Gajah Mungkur reservoir, Procedia Environmental Sciences, 28,
307-314

2020 Megaflood in Cagayan

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

2020 Megaflood in Cagayan

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

2020 Megaflood in Cagayan

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

CAGAYAN UNDER WATER: NOVEMBER 2020 MEGAFLOOD

The geomorphologic characteristics of Cagayan River have adverse effects in the

1. FAO (2011) Assessing Forest Degradation: Towards the development of globally

2. JAPAN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGENCY. (2002). The Feasibility

3. NEDA. (2006). Cagayan Valley Flood Mitigation Master Plan CY 2006-2030.

4. Provincial Government of Cagayan. (2020). House Probe on Cagayan-Isabela

5. UPLB College of Forestry and Natural Resources. (2004). Climate-Responsive

6. Sorocovschi V. (2003) Complexitatea teritorială a riscurilor şi catastrofelor, Riscuri

7. Suryatmojo H. (2014) Rainfall-runoff investigation of pine forest plantation in the

You might also like