Water allocation for irrigation in Bulacan, Pampanga reduced —NIA exec

National Irrigation authorities in Central Luzon reduced on Thursday the volume of water allocated to farmlands in the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga, as the water level in Angat Dam continued to ebb out.

Quoting NIA-Bulacan director Felix Robles, Dobol B sa News TV reported that water allocation for irrigation has been reduced to 35 cubic meters per second (m³/s) from 40 m³/s, affecting water supply to thousands of hectares of rice farms  in the two provinces.

But Robles said the water allocation is still enough to irrigate some 27,000 hectares of farmlands.

However, if the dry spell continues, water allocation for irrigation for the two provinces will be completely stopped to save on water from Angat Dam to supply Metro Manila's needs.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) earlier said that the El Niño phenomenon has already affected some 164,000 framers across the nation.

Hit hardest are the farmers in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central, Calabarzon (Region 4-A), Mimaropa (Region 4-B), Western and Eastern Visayas, Western and Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Latest estimate on damage to property is pegged at P5 billion. —LBG, GMA News