Some 1,304 farmers from the province of Guimaras stand to benefit from the PHP875-million Cabano small reservoir irrigation project (SRIP) of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) that will be constructed in Barangay Aguilar in the municipality of San Lorenzo.

NIA Administrator, retired Gen. Ricardo R. Visaya, was joined by Deputy Administrator for Administrative and Finance Sector Ralph Lauren A. Du, NIA Region VI Regional Manager A Engr. Rory F. Avance, and Iloilo-Guimaras Irrigation Management Office Division Manager A, Engr. Randy C. Alipis during the groundbreaking and capsule-laying ceremony held Wednesday, March 23.

“Hindi lang magsasaka ang makapag benefit dito kundi lahat ng taga Guimaras. Itong Cabano Small Reservoir Irrigation Project ay malaking tulong para sa inyong lahat. Magtulong-tulong po tayo. Ayaw natin ng delay (This will not only benefit farmers but the people of Guimaras. This Cabano Small Reservoir Irrigation Project is a big help for all of you. Let us support this, we don’t want delays),” he said in his message.

The project components include the construction of 29.67 meters high zoned earthfill dam, appurtenant structures with a protection dike, irrigation and drainage facilities, road networks, and a 3,280 hectare-reservoir with a storage capacity of 3.69 million cubic meters (mcm) that is capable of providing irrigation for 861 hectares of farmland spread in Barangays Cabano, M. Chavez, Suclaran, San Enrique, Cabungahan, and Aguilar of the said municipality.

Visaya said the project can be a source of income for the local government since NIA encourages the conversion of irrigation facilities into tourist destinations.

“We allocated 10 percent of the 3,280 hectares or 328 hectares for other purposes, so it can be for recreational activities and fishing that is why we have the aquaculture,” he said.

The dam can also serve as a flood-control implement because it will be storing floodwater from the upstream and from cascading through the downstream areas.

The project is eyed to be completed on Feb. 14, 2025.

Those who also joined the groundbreaking ceremony were members of the three irrigators associations (IA) Cabano BIDA, Inc., Banaba-Tumanda IA, Inc. and CAMSANAG IA, Inc., composed of farmer-beneficiaries, representatives of project-affected landowners, and barangay captains of covered villages.Perla Lena/PNA