Quality assurance, safety and health assessment tool, and evaluation of the necessary parameters for irrigation projects in the Philippines

Abstract

Irrigation is a useful crop-production method in developing countries, where water is scarce. The present study generally aims to formulate a Quality Assurance, Safety and Health Assessment Tool and evaluate the necessary parameters for irrigation projects. The study focused on irrigation projects in the province of Pampanga. At least 100 respondents were targeted, including project engineers, farmers, and IAs. Engineers who are currently or have previously worked on irrigation projects for NIA were specifically chosen. Farmers and IAs in the Municipality of Floridablanca who have directly benefited from NIA irrigation projects were also chosen as respondents. Based on the summary of findings, the study concludes that the newly developed assessment tool for irrigation projects is very useful and user-friendly as validated by the experts. The survey participants which comprised of engineers, farmers and IAs assessed the tool using different metrics or criteria and they strongly agreed that these parameters are really needed and important. Project management, quality of work and construction safety implementation as parameters of quality assurance for irrigation projects are also included in the developed assessment tool. These findings were also supported by the positive viewpoints and feedbacks from the experts during focus group discussion.