Despite the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has finished the Upper Tabuating Small Reservoir Irrigation Project (Upper Tabuating SRIP) situated in Barangay Nazareth, General Tinio, Nueva Ecija.

Completed in December 2020, the P878-million Upper Tabuating Small Reservoir Irrigation Project involves the construction of Earthfill Dam with a height above the lowest streambed of 25.56 meters and length of 760 meters, with a storage capacity of 4.96 million cubic meters. The dam was able to irrigate the entirety of its target service area prior to its inauguration this month of May.

The Upper Tabuating SRIP is expected to provide irrigation water to around 700.87 hectares of agricultural land which will benefit about 223 farm families distributed among the barangays of Nazareth, Rio Chico, Bago and San Mariano in the municipalities of General Tinio and Peñaranda in Nueva Ecija.

Further, the implementation of this project was carried out by NIA-Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (NIA-UPRIIS) Division III, eaded by Acting Division Manager Elenita L. Toquero, under the leadership of UPRIIS Department Manager Rosalinda B. Bote.