By June Blanco
Heavy rains and low-ceiling clouds did not hamper the conduct of an aerial survey of Bohol that Gov. Erico Aumentado had arranged.
Limitations imposed by meager resources prompted Aumentado to conduct the survey to determine which areas within three of Bohol's watersheds to prioritize for a joint rehabilitation project with ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.'s (AFI) environment arm Bantay Kalikasan.
Having created recently a technical working group (TWG) to study the province's river basins to pick out sites suitable for more hydroelectric power, he asked the survey team to fly low over the Wahig-Inabanga River to assess the Cantakoy Falls in Danao town as well as other waterfalls along the Upper Abatan River and the Loboc River.
The surface water of the Upper Abatan River will be tapped for the fresh water needs of Metro Tagbilaran – the city and 10 nearby towns including Dauis and Panglao.
The Loboc River now powers the turbines of three mini hydroelectric plants: one in Tontonan in Barangay Gotozon in Loboc, another in Hanopol in Balilihan town and still another in Barangay Ewon in Sevilla town.
The Wahig-Inabanga River, on the other hand, supports the Bohol Irrigation Project (BHIP) Stages 1 and 2.
The survey also aimed to confirm the suitability of sites chosen earlier by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), formerly the National Transmission Corp. (TransCo), for its steel towers through which an overhead high tension 138-kilovolt transmission line will be stringed.
The P1.4-billion 95-kilometer backbone from the Ubay substation to the Corella substation will improve the efficiency and reliability of power transmission in the province. Construction has started and is expected to be finished by December 2011.