By Lilybeth Ison/Philippine News Agency
MANILA — The reduced volume of irrigation water to be released from Angat Dam is not expected to negatively affect agricultural productivity, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Thursday.
The National Water Resource Board (NWRB) earlier announced that they may reduce the volume of water to be released because of the El Niño phenomenon.
However, DA Assistant Secretary Andrew Villacorta, in a press briefing, said it is too late in the planting season for this to affect production, such as in rice, because farmers have already harvested their crops.
“It is still in June that farmers will plant for the next crop season,” he said.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Bulacan and Pampanga farmlands are given until May 15 to get irrigation water from Angat Dam as water elevation has dropped below critical level.
As of 6 a.m. May 2, water elevation in Angat Dam was 177.97 meters, which is below the minimum operating level of 180 meters.
At this stage, the NWRB said, water supply for Metro Manila is prioritized.
The NWRB is maintaining the allocation of 48 cubic meters (cu.m) per second while water release for irrigation will be reduced to 10 cu.m per second next month to support requirements for the next harvest season.
DA Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol said that if ever the water allocation for irrigation for Bulacan and Pampanga farmlands is abruptly cut, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) can still provide water pumps to the farmers.
He said the NIA can provide shallow tube wells and open surface pumps that could be used by the farmers for irrigation.
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