By Steve Cordero
The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Central Office approved the continued participation of the dam consultants in the ongoing implementation of the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project Stage II (JRMP II).
On October 4, 2021, NIA Administrator Ricardo R. Visaya along with Deputy Administrator for Engineering and Operations Sector Engineer C’zar Sulaik and representatives of the Consultants virtually signed the Re-engagement Contract for the Consultancy Services of the Joint Venture (JV) of Consultants for the project.
The dam designers and consultants are from the collaboration and partnership of leading Korean engineering and infrastructure firms, the Korea Rural Community (KRC) Corporation, Saman Corporation, and Dasan Consultants Co., Ltd.
This joint venture was first selected to prepare the Detailed Engineering Design (DED) of the project in October 2013.
The DED contains the design specifications, final plans and drawings, and construction methodology of the infrastructure components of the project.
JRMP II involves the construction of three dams: a 109-meter gravity concrete Jalaur River High Dam; a 38-meter gravity concrete Jalaur River Afterbay Dam; and a 10-meter concrete gravity Alibunan River Catch Dam at the upper portion of the Jalaur River in the Municipality of Calinog.
The project likewise includes the construction of an 80.7 kilometers High Line Canal (HLC), the main conveyance of JRMP II, that will traverse nine municipalities in the Province of Iloilo.
Apart from these, the designers also led the way in the introduction of the Roller Compacted Concrete Method to dam implementation in the country.
The JRMP II High Dam and After Bay Dam are presently being constructed through the RCC method which is an innovation used by Korean constructors because of its economic value, high performance, and high speed of construction.
The presence of the Korean consultants is also a key to the transfer of technology and ideas from Korean experts to Filipino project implementers.
Series of trainings and capacity buildings were conducted by the consultants to enhance the capacity of NIA Engineers in implementing and supervising the project according to plans, specifications, and schedules.
With the on-going JRMP II construction activities, the technical expertise of the consultants is indispensable and crucial, hence the continuation of their engagement in the project.
As of this writing, the Project Management Office of JRMP II reported that the actual overall accomplishment of the project is 43.48% as of August 2021, this is ahead of its target for the same period which is 40.81%.
