II.
Assessment
Irrigation
The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) rehabilitated
12,254 hectares (54 percent) of the targeted 22,782
hectares, and restored 6,135 hectares (92 percent) of the
targeted 6,687 hectares.
About 9,845 jobs were generated in the construction of new
projects and the rehabilitation/restoration of existing
systems in the region.
Irrigation development for the year involved a funding
requirement of P1,176.085 million, broken down into
P434.625 million under the current year budget, P597.836
million under the carry over funds and P143.624 million
under inter-agency funds. Total available allotment was
P1,005.735 million and total obligation incurred amounted to
P680.347 million.
NIA managed 14 NIS under responsibility centers region-wide
with total service area of 20,487 hectares. The total
irrigated area was 31,706 hectares, broken down into 15,210
hectares during dry season (November 2007 to April 2008) and
14,515 hectares during wet season (May 2008 to October 2008)
and 1,558 hectares for the quick turned around crop season.
Quick turned around crop season is in between the dry and
wet season and the wet and dry season of the year.
The total service area developed was 119,922 hectares or
half of the estimated potential irrigable area of 239,660
hectares. Of this area 27,634 hectares were under the NIS,
71,801 hectares were CIS, and 26,379 hectares under private
irrigation system. The 119,738 hectares therefore remain as
potential areas to be developed.
NIA likewise organized irrigators associations, and prepared
feasibility studies of potential projects for funding from
the national government.
Flood
Control
Flood control, drainage, and shore protection mitigate the
loss of lives, properties within settlement areas,
infrastructure facilities and productive agricultural lands
from the threats of frequent weather disturbances affecting
the Bicol Region. Climate-related hazards induce floods,
landslides, mudflows, debris flow and tidal surges. Flood
control measures intend to mitigate these hazards.
Flood management focused only on the more expensive
engineering solutions rather than on the non-structural
measures. The structural measures were necessary but not
sufficient.
Intermittent sections of river training works and drainage
structures were constructed partially solving the flooding
problem. Palliative measures such as dredging of rivers
were also common but these were not effective and efficient
because the dredged materials were just dumped along the
river bank. Engineering solutions continued to be
implemented in the region.
Due to limited and low viability of flood control project,
only 39 projects were implemented in CY 2008. The 38
projects were completed and one is on-going. The projects
involve dredging, deepening of rivers, earth dicing and
flood way clearing of rivers channels.
