by Germelina Lacorte, Panglantaw Mindanao
Pro-environment advocates in Mindanao are protesting the construction of coal-fired power plants in the island, including one on near a fishing village that lies between Davao City and Santa Cruz town in Davao del Sur.
The website Climate Journal said the Aquino government is building 45 new coal-fired power plants, half of them located in Mindanao.
The preference for coal has puzzled local government officials, engineers and environmental activists who point to the rich hydro resources—rivers, lakes, waterfalls—that dot Mindanao. In the 1950s, Mindanao relied on hydro power plants fed from Lake Lanao and Maria Cristina Falls.
Environmental activists say coal-fired power plants will not only pollute the air, they will also deplete water resources as water is needed to cool these plants. [PM]
