The ongoing retrofitting of the Magat dam spillway and bridge in Ramon, Isabela will take at least a year to complete, according to the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).
“We have an initial funding estimate from our engineers of almost P500 million. We think this retrofitting can be implemented in a year,” said Eddie Guillen, NIA acting administrator, on Monday.
Guillen said the task is needed to fortify the 48-year old facility and ascertain its integrity following a recent earthquake.
He added the NIA looks to operate the facility for another 100 years the retrofit.
The Magat reservoir provides irrigation water to 90,597.8 hectares of farmland that benefit 62,890 farmers in Isabela, Quirino and Ifugao.
The facility also generates 388 megawatts of electricity from its hydro power segment.
NIA serves as lead agency in developing sources of water for irrigation and has partnered with private firms and government offices to fully utilize facilities for value added purposes such as the installation of floating solar power plants and run-of-river hydro power projects.
