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$1-M
study to double Malinao dam output
Studies
are now ongoing to determine if doubling the holding capacity of the multi-million
Malinao Dam is feasible, says Governor Erico Aumentado, who met a team of Korean
experts recently.
The
feasibility study worth a million US dollars is a grant by the Korean Government
for the governor's request on upgrading the Malinao Dam and enlarging its service
area.
Malinao
Dam, of the Bohol Irrigation Project Phase 1 cost 1.4B yen and was designed to
catch the waters off Wahig-Pamacsalan River and irrigate 4,960 hectares of prime
rice lands.
The
governor said he personally persuaded Korean authorities to fund the study through
a grant, when he was in Korea last year, Aumentado reported in his weekly radio
program.
The
governor, who was also instrumental in establishment of the P3.6 million Malinao
Dam, reported his meeting with the representatives from the Korean International
Cooperation Agency (KoICA) June 12 night, as an offshoot of his earlier request.
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The study, which
the KoICA team is doing would determine the feasibility of doubling the holding
capacity of the Malinao Dam, from its current 5 million cubic meters and thus,
widening the dam's service area, according to Aumentado.
Aumentado
named Dr. Kim, KoICA head consultant who assured him that the experts would finish
the feasibility within the year so that the Provincial Development Council can
finally endorse the project to the Regional Development Council for approval.
If
such happens, it may be up to the National Economic Development Authority to give
its green light on the project, the governor revealed. | Over
this development, frustrated farmer beneficiaries of the multi-million dam in
San Miguel, Bohol said they would have wanted to settle the answers to their questions
on the "sub-par" performance of the Bohol Irrigation Projects Phase
1 infrastructure.
Concerns
over failure to deliver the desired results especially in lands leveled and converted
to rice fields but are way beyond the service capacity of the dam still pop as
sore issue among farmers.
Moreover,
militant farmers calling themselves Panagbugkos Kontra K4 have been openly airing
their dismay over the water services of the dam. The alleged that even without
the dam, they were able to irrigate their fields because the dam could only give
out water during the rainy season, not year-round as promised. (rachiu/PIA) | 
