‘High dams’
PRESIDENT Marcos has demonstrated anew his determination to come up with far-reaching programs to boost the country’s resiliency against the effects of climate change.
President Marcos called for the construction of more “high dams,” like the aging Magat and Pantabangan dams, as a long-term solution to the country’s water supply problem.
It will be recalled that in 2013, then Senator Marcos wanted the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to have an effective action plan against the effects of climate change.
As an agricultural country, the Philippines needs irrigation systems in the face of the worsening problem of global warming.
NIA Administrator Eduardo Guillen said that his agency, which was established in 1963, plans to construct three to five “big dams.”
They include the proposed Tumauini Multi-Purpose Dam in the Cagayan Valley and the Panay River Dam in Panay Island.
Guillen said NIA hopes to finish the construction of the “big dams” before June 30, 2028, when Mr. Marcos leaves Malacanang.
Likewise, the agency is seen to undertake 20 medium-scale irrigation projects throughout the six-year Marcos administration.
Without doubt, it’s about time to construct new “high dams” since the Magat and Pantabangan Dams are already aging.
Magat Dam is located on the Magat River at the boundary between the towns of Alfonso Lista and Ramon in Ifugao and Isabela, respectively.
The Pantabangan Dam, on the other hand, is located in Nueva Ecija.
