Isabela farmers face water rationing

REFRESHING DIP Residents of the City of Ilagan in Isabela province visit Abuan River on Sunday to cool down as the prolonged dry spell brought by the El Niño weather phenomenon also causes extreme heat. —VILLAMOR VISAYA JR.

CITY OF ILAGAN — The National Irrigation Administration–Magat River Integrated Irrigation System (NIA-MARIIS) is set to reduce the water supply to thousands of hectares of farms in Isabela province for the next cropping season due to severe drought conditions, forcing the agency to implement rationing.

Gileu Michael Dimoloy, NIA-MARIIS Department Manager, cited the anticipated drop in water levels at Magat Dam amid the El Niño weather phenomenon for the reduced irrigation.

As of Friday, data from NIA-MARIIS showed that the dam’s water level stood at 171.97 meters above sea level, which was way below the normal high water level of 193 masl.

The receding dam elevation was due to the lack of rainfall over the watershed, prompting the dam administrator to end the irrigation supply on Friday but without a significant impact on local farms, Dimoloy told the Inquirer.

READ: El Niño feared stifling PH agri output in 2024

“So far, the suspended irrigation did not affect palay (rice) farmers as almost all of them have already planted or harvested their farms, as per our monitoring,” he added.

Dimoloy said the planned reduced water allocation for farms would mean the irrigation agency could save water for the next cropping season in May, targeting to irrigate 60,000 hectares out of the usual 90,000 ha of rice farms in the provinces of Isabela, Cagayan, and some areas in Quirino.

Solar pumps

Government initiatives such as installing solar pump irrigation projects were carried out to alleviate the impact of drought on agricultural productivity around the dam areas like Isabela and Cagayan provinces.

At least 10 of such projects have been implemented in Isabela and Cagayan this year, with the most recent being in Ballesteros, Aurora, Isabela, costing P3.36 million and aimed at supporting 6.69-ha rice farms.

Dimoloy emphasized that these solar power pumps would enhance irrigation services and are part of the government’s goals of rural development, agricultural modernization, and improved agricultural productivity, ensuring food sufficiency.

He said the solar pump irrigation projects would help cushion the impact of drought on farms.

According to Dimoloy, the retrofitting efforts at the 42-year-old dam are also ongoing to ensure uninterrupted irrigation services and hydroelectric power supply.

But despite the government promises of assistance, farmers like Roland Bravo, 46, and Reynaldo Paguirigan, 56, expressed concerns over the lack of rainfall and support reaching drought-affected areas.

Both complained that their rice farms have started to dry up due to the extreme heat experienced in the province. INQ