Farmers in Liliw, Laguna will soon benefit from a joint project of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in Region 4-A (Calabarzon), along with the World Bank (WB) to enhance irrigation climate resilience through the Irrigation Operator of the Future (IOF) initiative.
The IOF framework is a participatory process that empowers irrigation operators to assess their current performance, identify key issues, develop solutions, and implement actionable plans for improvement.
In a recent statement, NIA 4-A (Calabarzon) Regional Manager Engr. Roberto Dela Cruz explained that under the project, technical experts of the WB would conduct assessment of a pilot National Irrigation System (NIS) using the IOF approach, as well as remote sensing technology, and techniques such as Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD).
He said the mission will also focus on reviewing the agency’s criteria for prioritizing irrigation projects and proposing a tentative list of priority initiatives.
“The Santa Cruz River Irrigation System (SCRIS) in Liliw has been selected as the pilot site for this technical assistance which the delegation has scheduled to visit,” Dela Cruz explained.
A WB delegation recently attended a conference in Pila, Laguna province to discuss the project with NIA officials.
Present were WB Senior Rural Development Specialist Maria Theresa Quinones and NIA Operations Department Manager Engr. Eusebio Villamanto, together with other officials.
The SCRIS is an irrigation system which draws water fromn the Santa Cruz River to provide irrigation in the towns of Pila, Santa Cruz, Liliw, Victoria and Nagcarlan, where agriculture remains a dominant economic sector.
(With report from PNA)
Photo courtesy: PNA
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