Diary

Rotary Club of Port Pirie

Diary entries of Natasha Hall

Monday 26th of March 2007 - 05:08:57 PM
Pangansinan
Vocational tour today took me to see the San Roque multi-purpose project. The main purposes of the project are irrigation, power generation , flood control and water quality improvement. The dam is located on the 3rd largest river in the Philippines and with a total capacity of 835 GL, annual flow of 2,600 GL and construction completed in 2003 it is quite impressive to see. It was pleasing to hear about the efforts being made to relocate and build capacity within the communities displaced by the dam. Housing, training and employment opportunities have been provided. The company is owned by the Japanese and the dam managed under a BOOT contract (transfer to th Philippine government in 25 years). Upgrade and development of downstream irrigation sheme is underway. The area to be irrigated is approx 34,000 ha.



Friday 23rd of March 2007 - 05:07:37 PM
La Union
We arrived in La Union yesterday, the place where they have two sources of water which they call mineral water (treated bottle water) and criminal water (local supply). The local water and supply system covering the area of San Ferando city are considered substandard by the locals with inadequate pressure and supply sourced from neighbouring cities. Seawater intrusion has been linked to groundwater over use impacting on quality of supply. I visited an irrigation scheme near Taobou. The storage dam is soon to be dredged and the supply channels updraded to improve the efficiency of the system. I have the opportunity to meet with a NIA (National Irrigation Association) representative who explained that the upgrade will be funded through a loan from the national government, however the issue of collecting fees from irrigators make it diffuclt to finance. Upstream of the dam are a number of barangys (villages of approx 800 people). They source water daily directly from the river. With some financial assistance some villages have been able to construct deep wells or establish a pump and elevated tank to supply from the river but still people have to line up to take their daily share. The effects of water borne diseases are more prevalent in the wet season when surface water is more readily available and water quality is not considered before convenience. A scheme has been designed for one community but the estimated cost of 23 million peso makes it cost prohibitive.



Tuesday 20th of March 2007 - 05:25:39 PM
Vigan - Bantay irrigation scheme
Arived in Vigan yesterday and took in the tourist spots - cobblestone streets, museums, pottery and weaving. This morning we visited two Rotary projects in the sea - a floating sea cage for fish and sea urchin production. We had a chance to go for a swim and taste the local produce. This afternoon I saw the Bantay irrigation sheme that is currently under construction. At a cost of approx US$35 M, a loan has been provided by China. Irrigation water will be supplied 5,334 families and will enable rice production to double, supplying important food resorces to the local community.



Friday 16th of March 2007 - 05:49:27 PM
Baguio
We arrived in Baguio yesterday and instantly sensed the change in climate a sourrounds - a freshness to the air and pine trees! Last night we shared with the 8 Rotary Clubs of Cluster 1C at the Baguio Country Club and was treated to a series of local indigenous dances, telling the stories of courtship, marriage and head hunting victories! Today I went on two vocational tours. I met with Rotarian Salvidor at Baguio Water. Baguio Water District supplies approx 70% of Baguio from a series of approx 60 deep wells. The wells are located in watersheds that are supposed to be protected from development. However the encroachment of housing and squatters has been difficult to control. Groundwater levels have also been dropping with wells once 50-60m deep now being dropped to a level of approx 120m. Baguio Water district have received funding through Aus Aid to upgrade the exisitng reticulation system that has water losses of around 40% and low pressure due to corrosion. These factors result on homes only being supplied 3 days out of 7. Individual homes have tanks to store water for the off days. Water shortage is also an issue and dropping groundwater levels are not encouraging! People are applying for permits to have their own deep wells due to insufficient supply, but difficult to control use. An option of pumping water from approx 12 km down stream is being considered, although pumping costs will be high and higher level treatment required due to poor quality (septic tank overflows and piggerys etc). It is not well understood if the community can afford the higher water price (perhaps 4x current) and if the project can be justified. Are considering ways for trying to increase local recharge of the groundwater. This afternoon I went to Hedcor - a local company that produces and sells clean and renewaable enregy through the development, operation and management of hydropower plants. Currently they operate 19 mini-hydro plants, with combined capacity 113 Mw. Ppwer supplied to the grid. Many new projects are on the horizon. The Team stepped through the development of a project that will be operational in a couples of years time. A lack of historical data about river flows and rainfall makes it difficult to determine the feasibility and design the plants. Most of the research and modelling is done in-house. Discon started today so the next few days will be time for fellowship - looking forward to meeting again with the Rotarians we have already met along the way.



Tuesday 13th of March 2007 - 08:55:42 PM
Mt Pinatubo
We have heard and seen the dramatic impacts of the Mt Pinatubo lahar through the Pampanga and Olongopo areas. Some areas being covered in volcanic ash to a depth of up to 20 feet. High rainfalls during the wet season continue to wash the ash down from the Mt Pinatubo volcano which errupted in 1991. Dykes have more recently been built in many locations to try to contain the lahar as it flows towads the sea. Today we had the opportunity to see Mount Pinatubo up close - certainly an amazing experience. After any ealy start we tavelled by bus to the base of Mt Pinatubo. We then got on board some 4WDs and started to make our way up the volcano across the lahar and shallow rivers. At first glance the lahar and mountain environment appears desolate, but along the way families have established huts and were attempting to make a living from what the erruption has left behind - some growing crops in the lahar, others collecting volcanic stone fo sale. The scenery is continually changing as the rivers carve out the lahar leaving large ash formations behind. The 4WD trip lead us to the start of our 40min walk. We followed a stream up the volcano and reached the crator which is filled with water. The view is quite remarkable. We stopped for a swim in the lake which is known to be high in sulphur. In the wet season the water is blue in colour although today (dry season) a brown colour. After the return walk and 4WD trip we found ourselves covered in the lahar dust - but well worth it! An additional (unplanned) aspect to the trip was being held up by a military exercise that was taking place in the vacinity - we simply had to wait as helicopters circled above and attempts were made to hit targets below!



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