Monday, April 9, 2007

China To Finance Dam in Pampanga

Candaba, Pampanga -The Chinese government is funding a $200- million, 1,000-hectare dam project at the Candaba Swamp that is expected to ease the critical water shortage that looms in Central Luzon.

Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo said the People's Republic of China and the Philippines forged recently an agreement for the so-called Candaba Water Resource Project.

He said the project is "in response to the scarcity of potable water and irrigation water in Bulacan, Pampanga and the northern part of Metro Manila."

The project, according to Pelayo, will be built under the build- operate-transfer scheme and is expected to benefit thousands of people in Central Luzon and Metro Manila.

"Aside from supplying potable water, the project will also irrigate thousands of hectares of farmlands in Central Luzon," he said.

Pelayo said the dam's 1,000-hectare reservoir would serve as a year-round fishing ground for Candaba fishermen.

Earlier, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) warned that fresh water shortage would hit Central Luzon in the next five years and would reach critical stage by 2025 unless adequate conservation measures are put in place... full story here

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