NIA starts Bayabas river conversion into a reservoir
THE National Irrigation Administration (NIA) will begin the conversion of the Bayabas River in Doña Remedios Trinidad (DRT), Bulacan into a water reservoir with a P2.45-billion allocation from the 2023 National Budget.
NIA Region 3 Project Manager Amador Deo Salinas said this is a long-term irrigation response for farmlands in DRT and its neighboring towns.
It will also serve as a permanent flood control project in Bulacan.
Since the water will be stored in the 226 hectares of land designated as a reservoir inundation area, 53.137 million cubic meters of water is expected to be accumulated.
This will provide additional irrigation for the 26,981 hectares of farmland in Bulacan currently supplied by the Angat-Maasim River Irrigation System through the Bustos Dam.
In addition, the Bayabas Small Reservoir Irrigation Project will also irrigate 150 hectares of land in the town of Doña Remedios Trinidad itself.
In 1994, the provincial government of Bulacan first proposed the project. The feasibility study was completed in 2017 and the detailed engineering design finished in 2021.
The project is expected to be completed in 2027.
The irrigation it supplies to farmers will be free in accordance with Republic Act 10969 or the “Free Irrigation Service Act of 2018.”
Gov. Daniel Fernando said there is no reason not to proceed with the project that has been pending for almost three decades.
The governor said that while waiting for the project to be completed, the Provincial Agriculture Office will continue to provide irrigation motors so that rice planting will not be interrupted even during the dry season.