ILOILO City – The construction of the P11.2-billion Jalaur River Multipurpose Project (JRMP) Stage II will commence before this year ends, according to the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).
The mega dam, to be funded by the South Korean government, will be constructed in the hinterlands of Calinog.
Regional Manager Gerardo Corsiga said contractor Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd., a South Korean company, and the government have yet to sign the contract.
A Notice of Award, however, has already been released to Daewoo in March, said Corsiga.
NIA is the implementing agency of the mega dam project.
When completed, JRMP II would be the biggest dam outside Luzon. According to Corsiga, it will provide year-round irrigation to 22,340 hectares under five existing irrigation systems and 9,500 hectares of new irrigation area covering 33 municipalities in Iloilo province.
It also has the capacity to generate 6.6 megawatts hydro-electric power and around 86,400 cubic meters per day of potable water for domestic use of nearby municipalities.
The implementation of the JRMP was mandated under Republic Act 2651 enacted by Congress in 1960.
Stage I of the project, which consisted of rehabilitating the irrigation systems with an area of 22,340 hectares, was completed in 1983.
Stage II, however, was never implemented since 1988 due to lack of funds./PN
