By Shen Maglinte | Deputy Director
This serves as final report of the completion of the Madukayan Tribe Microhydro Power in Natonin Mt. Province Northern Luzon Philppines. Last January 14, 2014 the testing and subsequent comissioning of the Madukayan Tribe Microhydro Power was finally conducted. This constitutes the completion of the MHP project with an output capacity of 20 kilowatts.
Earlier, a series of challenges that also impeded the speedy completion of the project were hurdled by community members such as civil works on the canals and forebay damaged by landslides caused by two strong typhoons hitting the site. The electro mechanical systems have to be cleaned up when silts passed through the penstocks from the damaged canals with some pebbles lodged in the turbine casing. Opening the heavily corroded turbine casing probed difficult with one technical staff getting an accident as a splinter screw flew off and hit his right eye requiring immediate surgery. Luckily, the procedure healed the affected eye and the tecnical staff goes back to normal work routine.
Also, the inclement weather with strong winds and extended heavy rains in the wet season of 2013 derailed hauling of construction materials such as cement and gravel from supply centers due to wet and muddy road terrains. The farming community also caught up rice production work during those rainy months to offset losses incurred from previous year's low yield drought affected production. Hence, work on the MHP took a back seat in the 3rd quarter of 2013 and resumed full speed in the last quarter before its full completion in early January of 2014.
Transmission lines and subscription to individual houses are deferred tentatively awaiting further fund support currently being sourced out. The MHP project got allocations only for power house construction.
Nevertheless, the system is currently powering a half a kilometer street lighthing on main thoroughfares of the barangay. Power use isconcentrated also on a local rice mill cooperatively ran by the local community with current management temporarily handled by the local Episcopalian Church..a communty partner of the project.
SIBAT, the local community and the Episcopalian church are gearing up for collaborative action which would outline activities for the developement of the MHP system and its application. This includes training of operators that would operate and maintain the MHP and the rice mill operations, development of policies for utilization including tariff collections. Side by side will be skills enhancement on project management, value formation and leadership trainings. Agri-based livelihood applications of power is being explored such as cane pressers for sugar and fabrication of farms tools and implements. Building the Peoples Organization is an on-going effort through community organizing spearheaded by the local church partner noting that a united community is key to the sustainability of the project.
Currently, both the lighting and milling components though limited applications are sufficiently benefitting the community as regards security at night and most importantly addressing a post-harvest need.
In behalf of the tribal people of Madukayan, we wish to thank all of you who have contributed to the completion of the project through Global Giving. May you continue to be endowed as you sustain your generousity to help those who are in need particularly energy projects such as these for remote off grid communties.
Thank you very much!
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