By Madelaine B. Miraflor
The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has acquired heavy equipment, service vehicles, and portable current flow meter donated by Lopez-led First Gen Hydropower Corporation even as it lined up new purchases to modernize its equipment.
In a statement, NIA said the donated equipment will be used in the construction and operations and maintenance (O&M) activities of irrigation projects under the NIA Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (NIA UPRIIS) located in Cabanatuan City, Isabela.
NIA said the acquisition is part of NIA’s Four-Point Agenda, which intends to institute measures to improve the agency’s delivery of services such as but not limited to modernization of equipment for operations and maintenance.
The portable current flow meter is a useful instrument to measure the volume of water discharged to the irrigation canals, the agency explained.
The activity is also in line with NIA’s three-year re-fleeting program from Calendar Year (CY) 2017 to 2019.
In 2017, NIA purchased 34 units of light/transport vehicles and 17 units of heavy equipment, while it acquired 91 units of light/transport vehicles and 18 units of heavy equipment the following year.
For the remainder of this year, five units of heavy equipment and 91 units of light/transport vehicles are set for procurement.
NIA and First Gen have an existing deal for the construction of a hydroelectric power facility in Pantabangan in Nueva Ecija, which is home to one of the largest dams in Asia. In October, NIA and First Gen forged a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop a hydroelectric power project at the Aya Dam located in Pantabangan.
In line with this, First Gen has requested NIA’s permission to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study of the project, including but not limited to, legal, economic, social, financial, and technical viability, to which NIA has permitted the former to conduct the same.