At least six dams in Western Visayas are at a critical level on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, due to the extreme heat.
These include the following dams:
- Barotac Viejo RIS Dam
- Sibalom Diversion Dam
- Tipuluan Dam
- Solong Dam
- Panakuyan RIS
- Mambusao RIS Dam
Water stored in dams can be diverted to agricultural lands but with the situation of the six irrigation systems, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA)-6 is putting mitigation measures in place to help farms and farmers cope with the effects of the dry season.
One measure is scheduled irrigation.
NIA-6 said that because the water level at rivers is low, no water can flow to the irrigation canals.
Farmers like Gaudencio Estrebello of the town of Santa Barbara can’t help but worry about the effects of El Niño, which is expected to start in June.
The rain that fell in Santa Barbara evening on May 18, 2026 helped augment the water supply for irrigation in Santa Barbara but this may not last long because of the extreme heat.
“Kulang pa rin kasi baka sa hapon, ititigil naman ito (ang irigasyon),” said Rose Suarez, a vegetable farmer.
Raffy Hilario, Public Information Officer of NIA-6, said rain is a big help to irrigation systems.
“Ang ulan, actually, malaking tulong. Kung may ulan, which means makapagbigay o makadagdag ng supply ng tubig para sa ating mga taniman,” he said.
Augmentation from the Jalaur River Irrigation System in Moroboro, Dingle from the Jalaur Multipurpose Project II has helped the water supply in Iloilo Province.
