Sibulan bolsters Okoy Riverbank periphery

By Rachelle M. Nessia

Friday 27th of April 2012

DUMAGUETE CITY, April 27 (PIA) -- Following the destruction left by Tropical Storm Sendong in its wake when it battered Negros Oriental with heavy rains in December last year, the Sibulan municipal government is now repairing its infrastructure facilities ravaged by the storm.

Sibulan is one of the worst-hit towns in Negros Oriental by the storm.

Part of the repair work undertaken by the municipal government is the bolstering of the periphery of Okoy Riverbank amounting to over P2 million.

Okoy River, according to Sibulan Information Officer Concepcion Rosales, is the town’s catch basin of water bodies from the hinterland village of Enrique Villanueva and mountain areas in Valencia town.

“When the heavy rains come, the water volume in Okoy River, as the collection basin, swells and causes the river water to spill over the sides,” said Rosales.

Other watersheds and rivers cited in Sibulan’s Forest Land Use Plan (FLUP) map that contribute to Okoy River’s water volume are: Marulay River Watershed in Valencia town; Dungcalang River in Brgy. Tubigon of Sibulan; and the Southern Negros Watershed comprising Sibulan, Valencia, and Sta. Catalina.

Romie Diputado, Sibulan’s FLUP in-charge, said the Southern Negros watershed is a vast body of water covering the watersheds of Hinotongan River, Valencia, and Amlan River.

“All the water from these watersheds run off to Okoy River,” said Diputado.

When Tropical storm Sendong struck on December 17, 2011, Okoy River’s water level rose, washing away houses and killing people due to the strong currents.

A total of 268 homes were eventually reported totally damaged and 349 partially damaged, said Rosales.

“The river lived up to its name because Okoy literally means ‘stalker’. It caught the nearby residents by surprise because without warning, the river rose and turned rapid and turbulent,” explained Rosales.

The provincial government of Negros Oriental also sets aside P20 million while Second District Rep. George Arnaiz gave P2 million to fortify the sides of Okoy River with the installation of boulder dikes. (RMN/PIA Negros Oriental)