Most expensive irrigation project set to break ground

MANILA, Philippines - The government is set to break ground next month on the P13-billion second phase of the Balog-Balog Multipurpose Project in Tarlac, one of the country’s most expensive irrigation projects.

The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) said the second phase is now undergoing pre-construction conference.

“This will be the biggest dam that will be constructed in the country amounting to P15 billion. The first phase worth P2 billion is already finished,” NIA administrator Ricardo Visaya said.

“Inauguration hopefully will be on the second week of July. We will invite the President to do the groundbreaking,” he added.

The Balog-Balog Multipurpose Project is an open canal which will be a source of both irrigation and drinking.

“We hope we can finish it by 2020. It took six presidents for this dam. The conceptualization started way back 1980s,” Visaya said.

Last month, NIA inked the contract for the construction of the P5.8-billion storage dam and its appurtenant structures.

Contractors of the project are ITP Construction Inc. and Guangxi Hydroelectric Construction Bureau Co. Ltd.

BBMP II, when fully completed, will irrigate 34,410 hectares and will serve at least 23,000 farmers covering 10 municipalities.

It is projected to increase the cropping intensity within the service area from 24 percent to 200 percent, directly improving crop production and farmers’ income.

The mega dam has a storage capacity of 560 million cubic meters which can mitigate flooding in low-lying areas and provide inland fish production within the affected families.

As a multipurpose dam, the project will also have  a  hydropower component which can potentially generate 43.5 megawatts of power.

Meanwhile, NIA continues to embark on the development and construction of hydropower projects in its existing irrigation systems and future irrigation projects nationwide.

Studies showed there are about 357 potential irrigation sites for hydropower.

NIA assured farmers hydropower projects would not affect the irrigation component as the water would just pass through the irrigation canal.

The development and construction of hydropower projects is aligned with Presidential Decree 552 which directs NIA to achieve the optimum utilization and control of water resources primarily for irrigation purposes, secondarily for hydraulic power development and for domestic water supply.