DavOr to launch biggest irrigation dam in Mindanao on October 28

TAGUM CITY, October 20 (PIA) - - The provincial government of Davao Oriental will open on October 28 the biggest irrigation dam in Mindanao located in the municipality of Cateel.

This was revealed yesterday (October 19) by Gov. Corazon Malanyaon during the education tour on environment diversity in Subangan Museum, Mati City conducted by the Philippine Information Agency XI.

Gov. Malanyaon said that the 2,200 hectares irrigation dam will assure the province with 100% rice sufficiency by next year.

“This dam will complement our biggest rice producing municipalities – Banay-banay, Lupon and Cateel,” Malanyaon declared.

Gov. Malanyaon also disclosed that the project cost only around P 286 million, which was funded by the World Bank under the Mindanao Rural Development Project (MRDP).

The governor recalled that the project started years before Pablo and when the super typhoon hit the province, it washed away the project.

“After that they started to rebuild the dam; however, tropical depression Agaton came and again swept away any development in the project,” she said.

“With only seven months remaining before the time frame given to us to accomplish the project, the provincial government employed around 700 people for three shifts to finish the project,” Gov. Malanyaon added.

She said that the province even had a shortage in the cement, since the dam needed 5,000 sacks of cement a day and another 2,000 sacks for their housing projects.

“The project was a defining moment in the province because it was the story of determination in our part and the nobility of the project as it will help the community who are trying to regain from Pablo’s destruction,” she said. (PIA 11, Michael Uy)