DavOr to launch biggest irrigation dam

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

Gov. Corazon Malanyaon revealed it during the education tour on environment diversity in Subangan Museum, Mati City conducted by the Philippine Information Agency 11 on October 19.

Malanyaon said 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 said.

Malanyaon also disclosed that the project will cost 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 but stopped when the super typhoon hit the province.

“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,” Malanyaon added.

She said 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.