ILOILO
CITY, Jan. 4 (PNA) -- The Feasibility Study (FS) for the proposed Php18-billion
Panay River Basin irrigation project in Capiz is now being finalized as the
National Irrigation Administration (NIA) is optimistic that it will be realized
this year.
This
was revealed by NIA Administrator Peter Lavińa who is in Iloilo City Wednesday
for a stakeholders meeting.
The
study will be submitted to the National Economic and Development Authority
(NEDA), which in turn will endorse the document to Chinese Embassy that will
arrange for the funding mechanism.
The
Panay River Basin irrigation project was among the projects presented before
interested funders during the visit of President Rodrigo Duterte in China.
The
proposed Panay River Basin will even be bigger than the Php15-billion Ilocos
Norte irrigation project covering the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and
Abra, according to Lavińa.
NIA-6
Regional Director Gerardo Corsiga said that the Capiz project will cover about
14 municipalities of the province. It will provide power, potable water and
farm irrigation in the province.
Meanwhile
during the meeting, Lavińa expressed the need of the country to have more
irrigation projects.
Only
57 percent of the irrigable lands in the country have irrigation systems. There
are existing ones but they are already old and damaged by calamities, among
others.
He said that NIA will build more irrigation projects
starting this year as the country’s population will also increase and more rice
will be needed. (PNA)
