NIA officials cut ceremonial ribbon signaling start of operation of solar-powered irrigation pump. Contributed photo
TALUGTUG, Nueva Ecija – Top of the National Irrigation Administration led the inauguration of a P9.2-million solar-powered irrigation pump in Barangay Villa Rosario here on Thursday.
Senior deputy administrator Benny Antiporda and deputy administrator for administrative and finance Ralph Du also presided over the groundbreaking ceremonies for the P31.5-million administrative building for the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System (UPRIIS) Interim Division VI in Barangay Cavite, Guimba.
They were joined by UPRIIS department manager Engr. Rosalinda Bote, Interim DIvision VI manager Engr. Jose Ariel Domingo, Federation of Irrigators Associations president Federico Cinense III and other beneficiaries.
Bote said that the construction of the administrative building on a 13,686-square meter lot in Barangay Cavite comes with the equipment shed, guard and power house funded at P5,299,110 and perimeter fence and site development at P18,301,01).
The solar-powered plant, the first within the UPEIIS Division VI, has 96 panels of 38,400 watts of system capacity. It pumps up water from the super diversion canal of Pantabangan Dam to about 50 hectares of rice field through an 800-m pipe with five pipe outlets.
This will benefit 34 farming families, Bote said.
“Mataas kasi ang lupa sa lugar na yun kaya dati ay gumagamit pa ng kanya- kanyang makinang pantubig ang bawat magsasaka,” she explained.
With the solar powered pump, farmers can save their budget for diesel that has been skyrocketing, Bote explained.
Antiporda, for his part, said the projects were testimonies to how the government is working to help its people.
“Sa mga farmer beneficiaris, sa inyo po ito. Ginastusan po ito ng ating gobyerno rito at makapagpatubig sa 50 ektaryang sakahan,” Antiporda said. “Magkasama po nating pangalagaan.”
Antiporda also called on residents to keep irrigation canals free of waste, especially plastic.
