NIA completes repair of communal irrigation systems in Bicol

NAGA CITY — The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) said it has completed the repair of 13 communal irrigation systems in Bicol.

Feliciano Berdin, NIA regional manager, said the repair works were undertaken in the 13 municipalities serving a total of 465 hectares in the provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Sorsogon and Masbate under the El Niño mitigating program.

Among the projects completed, five were in Camarines Sur costing P7.5 million, three in Albay at P3.6 million; two each in Catanduanes and Sorsogon totalling P2.5 million and one in Masbate at P2 million, Berdin said.

"We are speeding up the repair works on the remaining 35 communal irrigation systems in the six provinces," said the NIA director, adding that the total cost of repairing the systems is P84 million.

Once completed, these projects would benefit 2,288 farmers by providing water to 365 hectares of newly-opened ricelands as well as improve the water supply to 2,249 existing irrigated ricelands in the region. – Celso Amo