SOUTHERN Philippines Agri-Business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (Spamast) urged the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and other concerned national agencies to use their data on identified suitable areas for small-scale irrigation projects.

Doctor Augie Fuentes, Spamast director for research and extension, said Wednesday, March 27, during Habi at Kape media forum that by using their available data, the government will spend less on research of the same study.

“MinDA could perhaps use the data of Spamast because we have a project on identifying suitable small irrigation projects. Our engineering department is doing this task in Davao region as they are mapping through GIS on small irrigation projects,” Fuentes said.

“It would be good if agencies will make use of any available data so that we will not be starting all over again and have more expenses on those related projects,” she added.

Department of Agriculture (DA)-Davao chief science researcher specialist Melani Provido explained that small-scale irrigation projects refers to small water impounding projects, small diversion dam, shallow tube wells, spring development and small farm reservoir or any project within the area of five hectares.

“Some of our projects in the government are just putting projects immediately where they can be put. However, scientifically, there is no water available [that could sustain it],” Fuentes said.

“We are trying to technically identify sites where we can possibly put small irrigation projects,” she added.

Fuentes said that as a result of the output of Spamast Engineering Department on identifying suitable areas for small-scale irrigation projects, the school was tapped to do a study in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm).

“We have been tapped again in the identification of irrigation projects in the Armm and it is now ongoing as we started with the mapping in Zamboanga Peninsula last year November,” she said.