P3.8-B re-regulating pond completed
BUT MANY FARMS STILL DRYING UP
LINGAYEN—Construction of the P3.8-billion re-regulating pond has been completed and the infrastructure is now irrigating about 34,450 hectares of farmlands in the eastern part of Pangasinan.
This was reported by Engr. Reynaldo Mencias, project manager for the National Irrigation Administration-Agno River Integrated Irrigation Project (NIA-ARIIP), to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) last week as her confirmed that the re-regulating pond component is already operational on a 24-hour basis.
The ARIIP consists of the rehabilitation and construction of two national irrigation systems, namely: the Agno River Irrigation System (ARIS) and Ambayoan-Dipalo River Irrigation System (ADRIS).
The re-regulating pond stores the water released from the San Roque Dam power generation to provide irrigation to farmlands on a 24-hour operation.
The 24-hour s is an improvement from the previous eight to 10-hour water release from San Roque dam.
Launched last July 23rd, ARIS provides water for 26,850 hectares of farmlands in San Manuel, Asingan, Binalonan, Villasis, Laoac, Urdaneta City, Sta. Barbara, Calasiao, Malasiqui, and Mangaldan while ADRIS serves about 7,600 hectares in Tayug, San Nicolas, Natividad, San Quintin, Umingan, Sta. Maria, and Balungao.
The project was financed by the national government through a loan from China Export and Import Bank and contracted to China Agricultural Machineries Inc.
NO COVERAGE
However, excluded from the coverage of ARIIP are some other towns in the Second to Fifth Districts where rainfed farms are now drying up because of minimal rains even during the usually rainy month of August.
Fifth District Board Member Danilo Uy told The PUNCH that the absence of expected rains is worrying many farmers.
Mencias said they are further looking into the expansion of the NIA-ARIIP’s coverage with a change of scope, particularly the realignment of canal lines, to serve an additional area of 5,294 hectares through the ADRIS.
According to him, the proposal, which will require an additional cost of P2.6-billion, was already submitted to the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Technical Board.
If approved, the expansion will be completed by December 2015.
The improved irrigation system from ARIIP is seen to increase palay production by ten tons per hectare annually and mitigate flooding in the province as well.–Johanne R. Macob
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