Pantabangan Dam rehab hobbled by fund lack

CABANATUAN CITY — Only 100 hectares out of the 28,000 hectares of agricultural lands in central Nueva Ecija will be covered by the rehabilitation project for the Pantabangan Dam.

This, as the National Irrigation Administration-Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (NIA-UPRIIS) is hobbled by lack of funding.

Engineer Sofronio Mendoza, NIA-UPRIIS’ District 3 manager, told The STAR that the government has allocated only P2 million for rehabilitation projects in Cabanatuan City and the towns of Sta. Rosa, San Leonardo, Aliaga, Gen. Natividad, Jaen and San Antonio.

At a rate of P50,000 as cost of rehabilitation per hectare, Mendoza said the allocation could rehabilitate only 100 hectares.

Rehabilitation work would involve repair of steel gates and desilting of irrigation canals, without which irrigation would be greatly slowed down.

"Of course, we cannot give the farmers efficient service. The flow of water will not be as smooth since the canals are heavily silted," Mendoza said.

Of the P45-million proposed allocation, only P25 million was earmarked for rehabilitation projects in the entire 102,000-hectare coverage area of the NIA-UPRIIS in Central Luzon.

Of the P25 million, P15 million was allotted for projects in San Miguel, Bulacan.

Mendoza said the NIA-UPRIIS, headed by operations manager, engineer Tony Nangel, submitted its program to NIA-Casecnan which disburses funds for rehabilitation work.

He said P5 million would not make a dent on the Pantabangan Dam which has not undergone any major rehabilitation since the UPRIIS was created in 1978.

He said the full rehabilitation work would have benefited 18,700 farmers in District 3.

Mendoza said the NIA cannot divert irrigation service fees to fund rehabilitation work since they are mainly used for personnel services and maintenance of facilities.