Karding damages 6 Pampanga dikes; Tarlac farmers lament lost harvest

A few hours after Typhoon Karding cut across Luzon, the Pampanga River in Candaba, Pampanga rose rapidly, submerging several hectares of rice fields in floodwaters.

GMA Regional TV One North Central Luzon’s Jasmin Gabriel Galban reported Monday on “24 Oras” that strong floodwater currents damaged at least six dikes.

The damaged dikes were in Mapaniqui, Barangca, Visalstonino, Visalto Cristo, Pulonggubat, and San Pablo.

Several residents had also evacuated from their homes.

“Lumabas po ako kanina. ‘Pag labas ko hanggang dito pa lang [ang baha], kapag balik ko hanggang dito na,” Mary Grace Esquebel, a resident of Barangay Bahay Pare, said.

“Nagtaas na po ako [ng mga gamit] kasi inabot kami [ng tubig],” another resident added.

The Candaba Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office said that at least 16 barangays were flooded.

In Magalan, Pampanga, some trucks were stranded after the typhoon knocked down several utility poles.

“Marami na raw sumubok… pero ganoon din po eh, stranded din. Kaya hintayin ko na lang matapos ‘to,” a driver said.

As of 9 a.m. Monday, 11 towns in Pampanga had no power supply.

Tarlac

Meanwhile, several areas in Tarlac experienced power outages due to the onslaught of Karding.

At around 11:30 p.m., strong winds were felt in the province. The roofs of several houses were blown away.

“Sa kasagsagan po takot na takot po ako kasi ako lang mag-isa kaya po pumasok ako sa loob… 'yung lumalagatok na po ang mga yero, kabang-kabang na ako dun sa loob” Geraldine Bautista, a resident said.

While the typhoon knocked down several trees, the damage to agriculture was severe.

Strong winds destroyed several hectares of rice farms that were due to be harvested over the weekend.

“Kung kaya lthang po namin itayo ulit, itatayo po namin [ang mga palay]. Matagal po namin pinaghirapan yan eh, Emmanuel Valecia, a farmer said.

In Barangay San Manuel, farmers tried to harvest their rice crops, but were unsuccessful due to lack of available harvesters.

“’Yung mga may bunga na, halos 90% dumapa and then walang bunga sa taas,” said Barangay San Manuel Chairman Crisanto Deang.

According to the provincial government of Tarlac, only 30% of the rice farms in the province had harvested their crops.

“Nakakapanghinayang po talaga. Kawawa ang mga farmers natin dito,” Tarlac Disaster Risk Reduction Management office Marvin Guiang said. — Mel Matthew Doctor/DVM, GMA News