Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. is “confident” that the mega dam being constructed in the town of Calinog, Iloilo can withstand natural disasters.
“We are confident in the engineering design of that [dam]. That is a big project,” Defensor said in a press conference on Thursday, Nov. 26.
The Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project Stage II (JRMP II) is the flagship project of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in Western Visayas. It is the first large-scale dam project to be constructed in the Visayas and Mindanao regions.
Defensor assured that the release of water from the dam will be managed well to prevent massive flooding in low lying areas.
“Dira malang kita dapat mag-andam, ang pagmanage sa pagrelease sang tubig kapin pa kon may kalamidad. We are confident nga maplastar ina sang maayo. That is a big dam and makasarang ina sa flooding,” he said.
Concerns were raised about the structural integrity of the P11.2 billion dam after some provinces in Luzon experienced massive flooding during the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses.
The flooding was reportedly worsened by the release of water from dams.
“May briefing ako with the NIA next week. Dira ko palang mabal-an kon ano na ang status sang proyekto,” said Defensor.
According to NIA’s Steve Cordero, the project is almost 40-percent complete as of Nov. 22. Full completion of the project is expected by 2023.Angelique Amira Jabian/IMT
