NIA to build P2.45 billion water impounding project

MANILA, Philippines — The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) is proposing to build a P2.45-billion Bayabas water impounding project in Bulacan to boost irrigation for arable lands and help mitigate flooding in nearby areas.

The NIA-Region 3 has proposed the Bayabas Small Reservoir Irrigation Project (SRIP) in Barangay Bayabas, Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan as a long-term solution for irrigation and flood control in the province, based on its Environment Impact Statement submitted to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB).

The project will have a storage capacity of 53.137 million cubic meters (MCM) to be sourced from Bayabas River, one of Angat River’s tributaries.

The NIA said this would augment the water supply to the 26,981 hectares in Angat Maasim River Irrigation System (AMRIS) through the existing Bustos Dam.

The Bayabas reservoir dam was recommended since the Bayabas River’s catchment area may not be able to irrigate at least 50 percent of the AMRIS service area.

“Without the project, the estimated annual volume of rice production in AMRIS service area will only be 188,331 tons. This amount may also reduce in the future due to prioritization of domestic water supply in the utilization of Angat River water resources,” the state-run agency said.

The Bayabas SRIP will also irrigate 150 hectares of arable lands and augment water supply to existing pump irrigation systems in the municipality of Doña Remedios Trinidad.

Bulacan is predominantly an agricultural province despite of massive land conversions, with palay, corn, coconut, mango and banana as the region’s top five agricultural crops.

Moreover, the project will serve as a flood control structure since water will be released in a controlled basis since the flood water during heavy rains will be secured in the catchment basin, it said.

The NIA has conducted a feasibility study on the project from October 2014 to August 2017, while detailed design and engineering was done from September 2017 to December 2021.

The project is envisioned to be fully operational by 2025.

Estimates showed that the project will cost P2.45 billion, broken down into direct cost of P1.88 billion and indirect cost of P222.655 million.

In 1994, the Bayabas Project Study was conducted as part of the Water Resources Development Project and was identified as one of the potential sources of additional water supply to the AMRIS.

Angat Dam, located in Norzagaray, Bulacan is operated and managed by the National Power Corp. (Napocor) and supplies water to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage Systems (MWSS) to serve Metro Manila’s needs and to NIA for irrigation requirements of farmers within the province.

The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) has intervened in the water demand conflict by setting compromise water allocation during critical levels of the Angat Reservoir.

Because of this, the NIA faced reduction of allocation, which adversely affects the extent of actual irrigated area in the AMRIS, particularly during the dry season.

“Considering the ever-increasing demand for domestic water supply in Metro Manila, and given that domestic water supply is afforded as higher priority, the search and development of additional water sources for AMRIS needs to be resolved. NIA, being the proponent of the project, viewed a long-term possible solution by impounding to harness the water from Bayabas River for irrigation,” it said.

The state-run firm expects the project to generate revenues where a portion can be allocated for reforestation, erosion control, and watershed protection.

It will also provide alternative livelihood to local residents who are currently engaged in destructive activities in the watershed like illegal logging, kaingin and charcoal-making.

“Likewise, the influx of tourists will enhance the eco-tourism endeavors of Puning Cave and nearby attractions. The proposed project will also promote the conservation and development of watershed resources to the benefit of the local communities,” NIA said.