El Niño to hit 80,000 hectare of farmlands hard
THERE are still some 80,000 hectares of farmlands in Pangasinan that remain without or partially irrigated, a situation that can become critical in the face of a looming El Niño phenomenon in June or early third quarter of the year.
According to Engineer Gaudencio de Vera, National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Regional Director, in an interview Tuesday, May 2, only 100,000 farmlands have been installed with an irrigation system and still only 65% are supplied with water.
De Vera said the NIA admits that much work needs to be done as the province still has much farmlands to irrigate.
NIA is currently gearing up for the potential drought that could hit a big number of farmlands in Pangasinan amid the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) El Niño Alert while the water level of San Roque Dam continues to fall below the normal 280 masl (meters above sea level).
On May 1, the water level of San Roque Dam hit 234.17 masl.
De Vera urged farmers to begin early planting, taking advantage of sufficient water level while still available.
Irrigation system projects are currently being constructed by the NIA in several towns in the province, among these are Dumuloc Irrigation System in Bugallon town that can supply water to 1,600 hectares of farmlands; the Pila Irrigation System will supply water to 8,000 hectares in Mangatarem, while 7,000 hectares of farmlands in Alaminos City and Sual will benefit from the irrigation system project in Alaminos City.
Meanwhile, the NIA is considering to purchase 500 units of water pumps as part of the contingency plan to counter the effects if El Niño. (Ahikam Pasion)
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