PREPARATIONS for the construction of a giant re-regulating pond to be built by the government for the foreign-funded Agno River Integrated Irrigation Project (ARIIP) are well underway with relocation of 34 affected families already started.

NIA Regional Director John Celeste said some P120 million from the Philippine government’s coffer is now being used for the relocation of the families from the site that will eventually be submerged in order to make way for the re-regulating pond.

The P120 million formed part of the 10 percent counterpart of the Philippine government for the project that was estimated to cost P7.8 billion, the amount of which is a loan now being negotiated by the country with the Japanese government.

The ARIIP is a priority irrigation project to be built by the NIA in order to perk up agricultural production in Pangasinan, northern Nueva Ecija and northern Tarlac, which are all parts of the envisioned North Luzon Agri-business Quadrangle super region.

Celeste said Phase 1 of the P7.8 billion project seeks to irrigate 34, 000 hectares of farmlands in 17 towns of Pangasinan. Phase II will irrigate close to 40,000 hectares or a total of 78,000 hectares for the two phases.

He is optimistic that approval of the project by the Japanese government is expected soon since all the needed documents have been submitted.

NIA Administrator Lomibao earlier said that the ARIIP used to be known as the irrigation component of the San Roque Multi-Purpose Dam in San Manuel town which is now generating 20 megawatts of power for the Luzon grid.

Since this was not included yet when San Roque dam was built, the government through the NIA took the initiative to build the project in order to make use of the excess water just being discharged down the lower stream of the Agno river during San Roque’s peak power generation.

Celeste said the construction of the ARIIP also include the rehabilitation of 16 irrigaiton canals of NIA in Pangasinan that are no longer functioning due to heavy siltation.
A multi-year project, ARIIP is set for completion in 2010.