The construction of the PHP1-billion Hibulangan Small Reservoir Irrigation Project in Villaba, Leyte is already completed and ready for turnover, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) said on Thursday.

The project, designed to cover 2,750 hectares of farmlands, will provide the water irrigation needs of 1,820 farmers from the towns of Villaba, Kananga, and Matag-ob, considered rice-producing towns in the province of Leyte.

NIA Hibulangan Small Reservoir Irrigation Project engineer Kim Aldritz Panilag said they are expecting President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to lead the inauguration and turnover of the project.

Prior to the dam’s construction, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) built a diversion road, as a portion of the existing Villaba-Kananga-Ormoc road will be submerged in water due to the activity.

Several households and lots were also affected by the project, which the agency compensated to avoid delays. Affected utility poles, like electricity and telecommunication lines within the project area, have also been relocated.

Although the project started more than 15 years ago, it was only recently completed due to several factors that include weather and the unavailability of funding, according to Panilag.

“Since the government cannot provide us with the whole funding amount, there are years that we are receiving funding allotment, and there are some years where funding is unavailable,” he said.

To supply the water needs of farmers, turnout or irrigation canals were developed and constructed along rice lands.

The 35.5-meter earth-filled dam with a storage capacity of about 10.8 million cubic meters of water will not only provide the water needs of farmlands in the three towns, but will also serve as a flood control project and may also be developed into a tourist destination.

Panilag said the municipal government of Villaba has already expressed its desire to offer water-related tourism activities within the dam once the project was inaugurated and turned over. (PNA)