Casecnan project supplies Nueva Ecija irrigation needs

The Casecnan multipurpose project, which became operational in December last year, is now instrumental in supplying the irrigation needs of 11,000 hectares of rice lands in Nueva Ecija province.

Based on records from the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Casecnan project office in Munoz, Nueva Ecija, the project delivered 112.7 million cubic meters of water to the Pantabangan reservoir from December 2001 to April 2002, contributing significantly to the irrigation supply of the crops in the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System (UPRIIS).

Without the Casecnan water delivery, about 11,000 hectares would have been critically stressed, according to the report.

The project office also said that Casecnan’s initial benefits are now being realized by the UPRIIS farmer-irrigators, and that eventually, the full benefits will be felt by the entire rice industry sector and the farmers in the 37,000 hectares of the new service area in the project’s northern municipalities once the irrigation canals and structures for the first phase are completed in 2006, and for the second phase in 2008.

The Casecnan project is a multipurpose irrigation project that diverts the waters of Casecnan and Taan rivers in Nueva Vizcaya to the Pantabangan reservoir for irrigation use, as well as hydroelectric power project that generates electricity for the Luzon grid.

The NIA report said that the prolonged dry season from January to June this year may affect the annual expected delivery of water, but noted that water discharges from the two rivers have improved considerably beginning in July. It also stressed that the minimal rainfall in the early part of the year was considered rare, and should not be considered as a pattern.