OTHER PROJECT COMPONENTS

NIA undertakes additional activities in coordination with other government agencies and entities.

Construction and repair/rehabilitation of service and access roads within national irrigation systems (NIS) involve sub-grading, surfacing, leveling and compaction of roads. Service roads on embankments of major canals are linked with roads leading to villages or towns. Access roads link the irrigation systems to provincial or national roads. Service and access roads have significantly contributed to the mobility of farmers in transporting their produce and farm inputs in the service area although the former are originally built for operation and maintenance activities. There are 10,290 km of service roads and 2,140 km of access roads.

Construction of drainage facilities within NIS is intended to prevent flooding and submergence of farmlands during the wet season, and allow reuse of drainage water during the dry season. The construction of check gates across creeks and streams would allow diversion of runoff water from the upstream portions of the systems for irrigation in downstream areas. Drainage canals total 8,380 km.

Development of agrarian reform communities (ARC) - NIA implements the irrigation support component in the development of ARCs. It coordinates with the Department of Agrarian Reform in the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program-Irrigation Component (CARP-IC) under the Agrarian Reform Fund, Agrarian Reform Infrastructure Support Project (ARISP) - Phase 1 and Phase 2 with financial assistance from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, and the Agrarian Reform Communities Development Project (ARCDP) - Phase 1 and Phase 2 under a World Bank loan assistance.

The irrigation component in the development of ARCs entails the generation of new areas and rehabilitation of existing areas, and organization and development of farmer-beneficiaries.

Post harvest facilities like warehouses with solar dryers are constructed and weighing scales provided particularly in ARCs.

Resettlement sites for families displaced by irrigation projects are developed along modern concepts of town planning and development. Facilities provided include electric power, domestic water supply, sewerage system, public buildings and other basic amenities. The sites are also provided with all-weather intrasite road networks for easy access by the residents and those from neighboring towns. The first resettlement site developed by NIA was for the residents displaced by the construction of Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija, then of the Magat Dam in Isabela.

Watershed protection - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and NIA forged a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on the protection of watersheds above irrigation systems in June 2002. The MOA defines the responsibilities of the two agencies in the conservation and management of watersheds. DENR has the mandate on the conservation of watersheds.

NIA has been implementing irrigation projects with watershed management component in collaboration with DENR. It completed the Watershed Management and Erosion Control Project in 1989, covering the watershed areas of Pantabangan and Magat reservoirs. Other projects with watershed management component are the Casecnan Multipurpose Irrigation and Power Project, Southern Philippines Irrigation Sector Project, and Bago River Irrigation System Rehabilitation and Improvement Project, all on-going, and the recently completed Water Resources Development Project.

Schistosomiasis control - NIA undertakes the infrastructure aspect of schistosomiasis control in endemic areas in new and existing irrigation systems. It undertakes improvement of drainage system, construction/rehabilitation of irrigation canal networks while existing creeks and natural channels are widened, realigned, deepened and properly designed to serve as drainage canals to eradicate the breeding grounds of the snails. Foot bridges are built in pathways across snail infested areas to lessen the population's exposure to water.

The Department of Health implements the health aspect which aims to instill public awareness on the nature, prevention and control of schistosomiasis. Control Teams assigned in NIS undertake diagnosis and treatment, health education and snail control. Vehicles, computers, LCD multi-media, supplies and materials, and, drugs and chemicals like molluscicides are provided to the Teams.

Improved water resources planning and management was undertaken in coordination with the National Water Resources Board in the recently completed Water Resources Development Project. On the other hand, the Board refers to NIA's regional and provincial irrigation offices, and in some instances to the central office, all applications for water permits for comments.

Multipurpose projects have other components aside from irrigation, like hydropower generation, fishery, domestic water supply, flood control, recreation and tourism. The two major multipurpose projects constructed by NIA were the Upper Pampanga River Project (now Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems or UPRIIS) and Magat River Multipurpose Project (now Magat River Integrated Irrigation Systems or MRIIS). UPRIIS irrigates over 100,000 ha of ricelands largely in Nueva Ecija; MRIIS about 90,000 ha in Isabela.

Small reservoirs are small water impounding dams specially constructed in drought-prone areas with no surface water sources or rivers. These dams are multipurpose and measure up to 30 meters in height and could impound up to 50 million (M) cubic meters, for irrigation, fishery, flood control, water and soil conservation.

Groundwater development is necessary in areas with no available surface water source or to augment available supply from the rivers. Pumps are more efficient to use as operation is controlled on as needed basis. They can be used both for rice and other crops. Pumps, however, are costly to operate because of the high cost of electricity.

Flood control management - The Department of Public Works and Highways constructs major flood control structures in flood-prone irrigation service areas. These were implemented in the Pampanga Delta Development Project, Cagayan Integrated Area Development Project, and Lower Agusan Development Project. NIA implemented the irrigation component of these projects.

Hydropower generation - NIA coordinates with the National Power Corporation on the hydropower generation in Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija and Baligatan Hydroelectric Power Plant in Isabela.