NIA: Water supply for irrigation enough despite allocation cut

The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) on Tuesday said the water supply for irrigation is still enough despite the allocation reduction from the National Water Resources Board (NWRB).

“Hindi na kami talaga humingi ng additional na tubig nitong Mayo kasi, una, umulan naman doon sa Bulacan... Enough na po yun para ma-sustain yung ating standing crops,” NIA acting administrator Eduardo Guillen said at a televised public briefing.

(We did not ask for additional water allocation this May because it was raining in Bulacan… The water supply is enough to sustain the standing crops.)

Recently, NWRB Executive Director Sevillo David Jr. said the water allocation for irrigation has been slashed to 10 cubic meters per second (cms) from 30 cms from May 1 to 10.

After May 10, the NWRB chief said water release for irrigation will be suspended “until the next cropping cycle to start by middle of June.”

Angat Dam irrigates several farmlands in the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga.

The NWRB imposed the allocation cut for irrigation amid the looming El Niño, which is a phenomenon characterized by the abnormal warming of sea surface temperature in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and below normal rainfall.

Citing reports from state weather bureau PAGASA, Guillen said the Ilocos Region and some areas in Mindanao will be the most affected areas during the El Niño.

Guillen, however, said the NIA has a system where they can boost the water supply for irrigation up to 20% in affected areas.

The NIA has a budget for solar water pumps that can be used in areas that cannot be reached by water supply, he added.  —VAL, GMA Integrated News