NIA: Over 32K farmers to benefit from P37.5B Ilocos-Abra irrigation project

More than 32,000 farmers and their families are expected to benefit from the Ilocos Norte-Ilocos Sur-Abra Irrigation Project (INISAIP), the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) said on Thursday. 

“Ang makikinabang po na farmers dito, total farmer-beneficiaries ay nasa 32,600 families,” said NIA administrator Eduardo Guillen in Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon. 

(The farmers who will benefit from this are around 32,600.) 

The P37.5 billion INISAIP was earlier greenlighted by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. 

The project is composed of a high dam in Abra, an afterbay dam in Nueva Era in Ilocos Norte, transbasin tunnels, and irrigation facilities. It also has a hydroelectrical power component, NIA added. 

“Itong project na ito ay multi-purpose dam po, ibig sabihin ay pwedeng pang-irrigation ito at may power component, mga 20 megawatts 'yung power component niya,” said Guillen. 

(This project is a multi-purpose dam, this means that it can be used for irrigation and it has a power component of 20 megawatts.) 

According to the Presidential Communications Office, the upcoming irrigation project will irrigate 14,672 hectares (wet season) and 13,256 hectares (dry season) of agricultural lands with the Palsiguan River as the main source of irrigation water. 

Further, NIA said that the project will be implemented starting January next year. 

“Dapat limang taon ang construction nito eh, kaya lang pwedeng iksian ito ng three to four years lamang kung simultaneous ang paggawa,” said Guillen. 

(The construction might actually take up to five years, but it can be reduced to three to four years if the construction of all components is simultaneously completed.) --Vince Angelo Ferreras/AOL, GMA Integrated News