245 irrigation projects in CY 2018 completed by NIA- CAR

September 2, 2019 Provincial

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet- The National Irrigation A d m i n i s t r a t i o n – Cordillera (NIA-CAR) reported on Thursday (Aug 29) that it completed a total of 245 irrigation projects in CY 2018 and valued at P1.2 billion.

Based on the Summary Status of Project Implementation submitted to Benito Espique, J., regional manager of NIA-CAR by Engineer Samuel Bahiwag, Engineering Section chief, as of August 15 (2019), 245 out of 278 projects were completed which is equivalent to 81 percent accomplishment.

In actual accomplishment, some 1,474 hectares of new areas were generated and restored 399 hectares. A total of 9,805 farmers were benefited and generated some 7,572 jobs across the region, the report further stated.

Summary of completed projects per province: Kalinga 94, Ifugao 39, Mt Province 38. Benguet 35, Abra 25, and Apayao 14. Projects that were undertaken as per fund source were—Establishment of Groundwater Pump Irrigation (EGPIP),Repair of Groundwater Pump Irrigation System (RGPIS),Extension/Expansion of Existing Communal Irrigation System (EEECIS), Extension/ Expansion of Existing National Irrigation System (EEENIS), Small Irrigation Project (SIP).

The other projects include-Coconet Protection in Communal and National Irrigation Systems, Climate Change Adaption Works (CCAW), Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Irrigation Component (CARP-IC), Improvement of Service Roads in National Irrigation System and Balikatan Sagip Patubig Program (BSPP).

In 2018, the agency received a total allocation of P1.534 billion and this year (2019), it was reduced to P1.498 billion.

The ongoing Alfonso Lista Pump Irrigation Project (ALPIP), a multi-year projects of the agency in the Province of Ifugao received the biggest allocation of P 411 million for 2019.

The ALPIP is programmed to irrigate about 2,300 hectares of agricultural land in four barangays, namely, Sto. Domingo, Calupaan, Namillangan, Namnama, in Alfonso Lista, Ifugao with about 1,300 farmer-beneficiaries.

Primo Agatep/ABN