The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)has scheduled a public scoping for the proposed Baquilan irrigation project in Botolan, Zambales.
According to the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), the consultation with the public will be held on January 29, 2026. The activity will allow the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to present an overview of the project and gather concerns, issues, and other inputs from the public.
Project documents did not indicate the project cost but the proposed irrigation system is expected to serve 1,600 hectares of farmland covering 18 barangays in Botolan and one barangay in Iba.
The project aims to increase crop production and cropping intensity in the area. It is also expected to create jobs during construction, support the government’s food sufficiency program, help reduce flooding, and contribute to poverty alleviation.
Major components of the project include a 60.5-meter-high, 597-meter-long concrete-faced rockfill dam, a 101.2-hectare reservoir with a storage capacity of 26.4 million cubic meters, and related structures. Access roads along irrigation canals and leading to the dam site are also part of the plan.
NIA is the lead government agency tasked with developing water sources for irrigation nationwide.
