The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has earmarked PHP3.17 billion for different irrigation projects in the Ilocos Region this year.
In a press conference on Wednesday here, NIA Ilocos engineering and operations division manager engineer Leonila Fernandez said out of the total budget, PHP900 million was allotted for the Lower Agno River Irrigation System Improvement Project (LARISIP).
LARISIP aims to construct new canal systems, rehabilitate existing irrigation facilities, restore non-functional service areas to improve water delivery and/or augment irrigation water supply to increase agricultural productivity and farmers’ income, and generate employment, based on a statement of the NIA Ilocos Region.
Fernandez said the amount will also cover other important projects, such as the construction of the high-rise dam in Barangay Portic in Bugallon town, Pangasinan that will benefit agricultural lands in nine barangays.
The entire dam project costing PHP1.7 billion, with funding from the General Appropriations Act, will be completed in 2025.
Its component, the Dumoloc Small Reservoir Project, has been allocated PHP400-million funding.
The 230 meters width across the Dumoloc River will be filled while it has a spillway along its side. The small reservoir project also involves the construction of 4,340 kilometers of 10-meter wide access road and irrigation facilities to supply the existing Dumoloc irrigation system.
“The remaining amount from the budget will be allotted to the four provinces mostly for start-up projects,” Fernandez said.
Pangasinan got PHP700 million funding, Ilocos Norte with over PHP300 million, La Union with PHP88 million, and Ilocos Sur with PHP119 million.
NIA Ilocos Region acting manager engineer Gaudencio de Vera said the first quarter of the year will be set for the procurement of materials and equipment for the different projects of the agency.
“We target to accomplish at least 70 percent (of the) developed irrigation system in the entire region before June 2022. We are now at 62 percent while we continue to develop the existing irrigation systems,” he said.
De Vera said they have started the turn-over of communal irrigation systems in the region to the local government units (LGUs) as part of the devolution of funds this year to the LGUs.
He said among the projects NIA Ilocos completed last year were the introduction of solar-powered water pumps, and the model farms.
Source: Philippines News Agency
