THE National Irrigation Administration (NIA) said it has completed the rehabilitation of the Porac-Gumain River Irrigation System (PGRIS) in Pampanga.
In a statement, the NIA said the rehabilitated PGRIS under the National Irrigation Sector Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (Nisrip) is funded through a grant from Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) amounting to P171.973 million.
The agency said the project will provide “timely and reliable” irrigation service to 3,249.95 hectares of agricultural land in the Municipalities of Lubao, Floridablanca, Guagua and Sta. Rita in Pampanga.
“The project will benefit 4,045 farmers and their families,” the NIA said.
The rehabilitation works of Porac-Gumain RIS involved the following: replacement of the falling shutter and provision of trash rack at intake in Porac Dam; replacement of sluicegate with rubber seal in Solib Dam; 10.045-kilometer concrete canal lining; and, improvement of 20 check gates and eight irrigators’ association offices with three support facilities.
The implementation of this project was carried out by Nisrip. The program is headed by Project Manager Silvino C. Navarro, NIA Region III headed by Regional Manager Josephine B. Salazar and the Pampanga-Bataan Irrigation Management Office.
The Porac-Gumain RIS is scheduled to hold its inauguration on Thursday to be attended by NIA officials led by Administrator Ricardo R. Visaya, Ambassador Koshikawa Kazuhiko of the Embassy of Japan, representatives of Jica headed by Chief Representative Azukiwa, Pampanga’s provincial and local government officials and the project beneficiaries as represented by its irrigators’ association officials.
Visaya said the agency remains committed to its mandate of providing reliable and sustainable irrigation services to our farmers through the construction of irrigation projects and rehabilitation of existing irrigation systems.