DAVAO CITY – The municipality of Taraka in Lanao del Sur will undergo its first technical assessment for the solar-powered irrigation and drinking water program on Tuesday (January 14), the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) said in a statement on Monday.
MinDa said its technical team as well as from Huangzhou Yatai will conduct the initial site validation and assessment for the water project to determine river discharge requirement of 700 liters per hour.
Taraka Mayor Nashiba Sumagayan had earlier expressed interest to MinDA about her intention to avail of the program after attending the launching of the MinDA Water Supply Program in this city last year.
MinDA said the Taraka water project will benefit 200 households and will cost PHP20 million and payable in 25 years.
“Taraka LGU (local government unit) will be the first to avail of the program in BARMM”, said MinDA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, who underscored the project's contribution to the rice-producing municipality.
Aside from the water program, Piñol said they will also conduct a "livelihood orientation program and allow the people to have options” in terms of the projects that the government provides.
Some of the livelihood programs include cattle fattening, goat-raising, poultry and egg production, vegetable gardening, and sorghum farming.
“We have to increase our agricultural production in order to take advantage of the halal market in the BIMP-EAGA and the trillion-worth global halal market,” said Piñol. (PNA)
