NIA starts P755 irrigation project in Quezon

MANILA, Philippines — The government has started the construction of the P775-million Macalelon Small Reservoir Irrigation Project aimed at improving agricultural productivity in Quezon province.

The National Irrigation Administration recently broke ground for the Macalelon SRIP in Barangay Vista Hermoza to enhance the farm sector, create more employment opportunities, and improve the living environment of the locals.

The project includes the construction of a 22.5-meter high zoned-earth fill embankment dam and its appurtenant structures with active storage capacity of 3.504 million cubic meters.

It also involves irrigation, drainage, and project facilities, conduct of detailed engineering and pre-construction activities, institutional development programs, right-of-way acquisitions, and resettlement of project-affected families.

Upon completion, the project is expected to provide a reliable and timely irrigation water supply to 830 hectares of agricultural lands in 12 barangays of Macalelon and Lopez in Quezon.

This is expected to benefit the livelihood of 700 farmer-beneficiaries. It also entails incidental benefits, such as flood control, aqua-culture, agro-tourism, hydroelectric and solar power generation, and watershed management.

The project, however, will submerge about 99 hectares of timber and coconut land at the reservoir and dam area, and 75 hectares for canal and appurtenant structures.

NIA maintained that it has already identified relocation sites and initially, 87 families will be relocated from two barangays of Macalelon and one barangay in Lopez in Quezon.