By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
As part of the government’s push towards beefing up the domestic agricultural sector, the administration continues to find ways to sustain the farmlands and the livelihoods of those who bring food to Filipinos’ tables.
In a ceremony on Thursday, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the inauguration and turnover of the Ibato-Iraan Small Reservoir Irrigation Project (SRIP) in Aborlan, Palawan.
As the facility becomes operational, it will help irrigate 1,072 hectares of farmland across Barangays Sagpangan, Iraan, and Isaub—thus benefitting 425 farmers from the Ibato-Iraan Farmer’s Irrigators Association, Inc.
The project draws water from the Ibato-Iraan River and includes a 31-meter-high zoned earthfill dam, canal structures, concrete linings, access roads, and a 350-meter-long ungated ogee spillway. The reservoir can store up to 3.013 million cubic meters of rainwater.
President Marcos Jr. expressed optimism that this project would ensure that farmers have a constant source of water to irrigate their farmland even during prolonged dry spells, thus increasing the resilience of their livelihood from various weather conditions.
“Hangad natin na magamit ang reservoir nang pangmatagalan. Layunin din nito, gawing mas panatag ang inyong loob sa bawat panahon ng taniman, tag-ulan man o tagtuyot.”
He moreover shared that the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has begun the installation of solar-powered water pumps to reduce the reliance of farmers on fossil fuels to keep the paddy fields hydrated and their crops thriving amid the El Niño phenomenon.
The Chief Executive concluded by reminding the farmers to look after the project, “Kaya inaasahan ko na ang matatag at pagtutulungan ng NIA at ng Ibato-Iraan Farmers Irrigators Association—alagaan, ingatan, at paunlarin natin ang imprastrakturang ito. Kayo po ang kasangga namin sa pagpapanatili at pagtatagumpay nitong proyektong ito.”
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