By admin ILOILO CITY – The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has reported that the feasibility study (FS) of the Panay River Basin Integrated Development Project (PRBIDP) in Capiz is 91.18% complete.
Director of NIA-6 Eng. Jonel Borres said that conducting the FS takes place simultaneously with the detailed technical design phase of the project.
Borres said significant progress on the FS brings the project closer to construction, which is expected to begin in 2025.
“Personally, I hope that next year we will be able to start construction, because NIA-6 is making every effort to obtain all permits as soon as possible,” Borres said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Borres said it is currently processing the necessary permits from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Agrarian Reform to expedite construction.
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He emphasized that obtaining all permits before construction begins will ensure timely implementation of the investment.
As of June 2018, NIA had already obtained two Certification Prerequisites (CPs) from NCIP, but the new certification was renewed due to delays in conducting FS.
The program is consistent with the free and prior informed consent of the indigenous cultural communities or indigenous peoples (IPs) that will be affected by the project.
“We are very optimistic about this project. IP and all stakeholders in Capiz are looking forward to this project due to the perennial problem of flooding,” he stressed.
Borres also revealed that he is also updating PRBIDP programs and work to update project costs to reflect current market prices. The proposed cost of the PRBIDP project is P20.786 billion.
NIA proposes to construct the PRBIDP under a design-build (DB) program under which the contractor will be responsible for both the design and execution of the project.
The DB method allows the NIA to focus on setting minimum performance standards while the contractor ensures compliance with them.
“We will no longer continue the process of securing loans because top management is committed to completing the project and the president also supports this infrastructure,” Borres added.
The aim of PRBIDP is to address the recurring problem of flooding in Capiz and improve water resources management. The dam will be constructed in Barangay Acuna, Tapaz State, and the bay dam will be constructed in Barangay Garcia.
The irrigation component of the project will benefit 25,046 farmers who will irrigate 26,800 hectares of agricultural land.
It will also generate 18.42 megawatts of hydropower and deliver 3 cubic meters of water per second to the city of Roxas and surrounding areas.