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| the late Cong. Erico B. Aumentado |
By
Marlon Balmadrid
QUEZON
CITY – The proposed Bohol Northeast Multi Purpose Dam for Irrigation and Hydro
Power project envisioned by the late Rep. Erico B. Aumentado (2nd District,
Bohol) together with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) is getting
closer to realization as the project only needs the indorsement of the National
Economic Development Authority (NEDA) for its eventual implementation and
construction. The good news was shared by no other than the late solon’s son
Erico Aristotle “Aris” Aumentado, who is closely monitoring the developments of
various projects left behind by his father.
The
proposed multi purpose dam project will be located in the municipality of
Danao, Province of Bohol. The project seeks to provide irrigation services for
the farmers in the municipalities of Danao, San Miguel, Trinidad, Dagohoy, Bien
Unido and Ubay.
In
a pre-feasibility study conducted by NIA Region 7, the proposed project can
irrigate a total of 19,071 hectares in the towns of Danao, San Miguel,
Trinidad, Dagohoy, Bien Unido and Ubay.
The
study also showed that based on the dependable water supply of Wahig River
which is capable of storing 15.3 million cubic meters of water backed up with a
105.25 sq. kilometer watershed, a 10.0 megawatts of hydro electric power can
also be developed including domestic water supply for the municipalities of
Danao, Dagohoy and San Miguel.
In
a letter addressed to NEDA ICC Technical Board Deputy Director General and
Chairman, Rolando G. Tungpalan, the late solon requested for the facilitation
of the indorsement of the project. Once approved, the project is set to be
funded by the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) under its Official
Development Assistance (ODA) facility.
The
Central Visayas Regional Development Council thru RDC Resolution No. 58 (S.
2011) has already indorsed the conduct of the feasibility study and detailed
engineering design for the proposed multi purpose dam for funding by KOICA.
Indicated
in the NIA Region 7 pre-feasibility study, the general objective of the
proposed project is to provide substantial and dependable water supply for
irrigation services to support the agricultural development program of the government.
For
its specific objectives, the dam aims to provide dependable irrigation water
supply in the northeastern part of Bohol and consequently generate cheaper and
renewable source of energy to augment the local electric power needs, develop
new and improved communities via a comprehensive resettlement and livelihood
program for affected residents, provide a dependable source of potable water to
adjacent communities, mitigate the impact of climate change by reducing the
occurrence of flash floods in the municipalities of Danao and Inabanga and to
serve as a new alternative eco-tourism attraction in the area.
Being
a large irrigation project, Aumentado strongly believed that it will surely
help boost rice production in the area, alleviating the living conditions of
the farmers in the countryside, play a key role in attaining the goal for rice
self sufficiency and solidifying Bohol’s claim as the rice granary of the
region.
The
proposed Bohol Northeast Multi Purpose Dam is among the projects on stream being
worked out by Aumentado for the benefit of the 2nd District and Bohol in
general, up until his untimely demise due to complications brought about by
pneumonia last Dec. 25, 2012.
Once
completed, the project will consist of a main dam having a maximum of 100
meters in height and 1,200 meters in length, plus four supplementary dams
having a 60 meter average height and 400 meter average length.
The
estimated project cost is pegged at around $182 million.
