Nine small water impounding projects (SWIP) worth PHP120 million proposed in Antique are expected to address water shortage in the province.
Vice Governor Edgar Denosta said Senator Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture and Food in the Senate, already endorsed the resolution passed by the Provincial Board on April 8, 2024, requesting for the projects to the Bureau of Soil and Water Management for funding and implementation.
“Personnel from the Bureau of Soil and Water Management already came to my office today to discuss the SWIP implementation,” Denosta said in an interview on Tuesday.
The SWIP will be established in four barangays of Anini-y, two in Bugasong, and one each in the towns of Tobias Fornier, Sibalom, and San Remigio, benefitting 240 hectares of rice land in the beneficiary barangays.
The provincial board requested the projects considering the adverse effects of the El Niño phenomenon on Antique, one of the most affected provinces in the country.
“Pres(ident) Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. had also directed local government units to formulate and implement a comprehensive and integrated disaster risk reduction plan, specifically addressing possible issues related to water, agriculture, energy, health, security, and education,” Denosta added. (PNA)