By Hilda Austria | Philippine News Agency
The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) on Friday held a groundbreaking ceremony to signify the start of the construction of a P1.33 billion high-rise dam in Barangay Portic that would benefit agricultural lands in nine barangays in Bugallon, Pangasinan.
In his message, NIA 1 (Ilocos region) manager, engineer Angelito Miguel said the zone earth-fill dam measures 40 m. in height, 300 m. in crest length, and 11 m. in crest width.
“We will fill 230 meters width across the Dumoloc River. It has a spillway along its side while this project, called the Dumoloc Small Reservoir Project, also includes the construction of 4,340 km. of access road with 10 meters width and irrigation facilities to supply the existing Dumoloc irrigation system,” Miguel said.
The entire project, which will cost P1.7 billion, with funding from the General Appropriations Act, will be completed in 2025, he said.
It will benefit about 1,484 farmers from barangays Umanday, Laguit Centro, Poblacion, San Francisco, Hacienda, Cayangan, Portic, Salomague Sur, and Salomague Norte.
In an interview, Pangasinan Irrigation Management Office head, Gaudencio de Vera, said upon the completion of the project, the irrigated land in the town would increase to 1,632 hectares from the present 800 hectares.
“(The) Dumoloc River, during the wet season, dries up while on rainy season, its water overflows. So, the dam will store water from the Dumoloc River during the wet season and it will serve as irrigation to the farmlands during the dry season,” de Vera said.
He added that with the project, they hope to add another cropping season to the present two and increase their yield from 2.95 tons to 3.93 tons to 5.2 tons to 5.5 tons.
In her speech as the guest of honor and speaker during the groundbreaking ceremony, Agriculture Undersecretary for Consumer and Political Affairs Kristine Evangelista said President Rodrigo Duterte wanted the income of farmers to increase and irrigation is important in agriculture.
Bugallon Mayor Priscilla Espino said the project would be a big help to the farmers in her town as water irrigation is one of their problems.
Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino III thanked the national government for the project that would benefit not only Bugallon town but the rest of the province as well.
“This is a blessing that we need to take care of and support,” he told the farmer-beneficiaries.
Miguel said the dam has hydropower potentials in the future but this has yet to be included in the project proposal.
He added this could also be an eco-tourism attraction for Bugallon.
The feasibility study for the project was conducted in 2002 and the construction of the access road began in 2018, Miguel said. (PNA) – bny
