STUDIES are now started 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 Malinas 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 aired over Bohol radio stations.
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.
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)
