The repair of the Banaong Pump on Bantay, Ilocos Sur, damaged by the magnitude 7 earthquake last Wednesday, will be finished in around 30 to 45 days, the acting head of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) said Sunday.

“150 meters (of the main canal) were destroyed, wherein 2,000 hectares of crops will be affected if this will not be acted on immediately. (The repair) will be done in 30 to 45 days,” said Benny Antiporda, who assumed the post last Friday, in an interview with dzBB.

NIA will create a “temporary remedy so that the crops won’t be affected and so we can still provide water to our farmers,'' said Antiporda.

Antiporda said NIA '' will need a temporary diversion for the water so it can still reach the farmers.'' He added repairs cannot be done while ''the water is running because cement will be used.''

Antiporda added that geologists will be using ground penetrating radars to check for cracks in the Magat and Pantabangan dams.

Engineers will be helping geologists in assessing the damage to the dams from the earthquake through ground penetrating radar, added Antiporda.

Ground penetrating radars are like “X-ray machines that let you see through the ground where the water is going,” he said.

Antiporda said for now, NIA is renting two ground penetrating radars and is still in the process of purchasing them.

He also said that they have deployed separate teams composed of staff from their operations and engineers for the two dams. Jaspearl Tan/DMS