The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) on Wednesday said the construction of more dams could address the shortage of water for household use and irrigation purposes.
At the Huntahan media forum in Quezon City, NIA chief Eduardo Guillen said 40 percent of the agricultural sector has a problem with irrigation and potable water.
“We are now discussing matters with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to build more dams as a long-term solution,” he said.
Guillen said the DPWH could afford infrastructure projects worth billions of pesos, but NIA has a limited budget allocation to do so.
At present NIA is building 1,800 units of solar pump irrigation projects. Guillen lamented that the Senate slashed the agency’s budget in 2024, preventing it from putting up more irrigation dams.