Gov’t to cut off irrigation water if situation worsens

The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) will completely cut off water for irrigation if the situation deteriorates this coming summer.

NWRB Executive Director Ramon Alikpala said the water reserve level at Angat Dam, the main source of water for households in Metro Manila as well as irrigated farm lands in Luzon including Bulacan and Pampanga, has not improved even after cloud-seeding operations were carried out last week.

Alikpala said a technical working group looking into the water crisis decided that it could sacrifice water for irrigation if the reserve level at Angat dam falls below the comfort zone or falls to a critical level.

"The priority is really the households. We have advised farmers that they should not be planting crops that consume so much water because they will lose anyway if irrigation is inadequate. However, they can shift to other crops that do not need as much water," said Alikpala.

He added that unlike in the country’s worst El Niño in 1997, farmers weren’t given proper advice or warning about the prolonged dry spell, thus, resulting in major crop losses.

"At that time, water allocation for irrigated farmlands was cut off by 100 percent," recalled Alikpala.

The water reserve level in the Angat dam continues to go down. From 197.24 cubic meters last Monday, then dipped further to 197.09 cubic meters yesterday.

Thus far, NWRB has reduced water supplied to households by five percent, and to farmlands in Central Luzon by 10 percent. By February, water for farmlands will be trimmed by another five percent.

Alikpala said that as part of measures to avert the water crisis that threatens Metro Manila and Luzon, the NWRB and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources will be coordinating with residents of exclusive or posh villages to secure their cooperation in conserving water.

The scant rainfall is being blamed for the water shortage.

The Philippine Atmospherical Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) which tracks weather patterns, noted the absence of tropical cyclones in Northern and Central Luzon area last October that led to the Angat Dam’s low water reserve level.