by
Armand M. Galang
Damaged riceland in San Miguel, Bulacan. Photo by Dino Balabo |
GAPAN
CITY – A phenomenal decrease in water supply from the local source affects over
13,790 hectares in five municipalities and a city in Central Luzon, leaving
thousands of farmers and irrigation officials praying for rain.
Records
show the biggest of the areas affected by water shortage is Bulacan with 4,605
hectares in San Miguel and 985 hectares in San Ildefonso, followed by Pampnga
with 4,780 hectares in Candaba while Nueva Ecija has 3,419 hectares with 380
hectares in Gapan, 2,100 hectares in Cabiao, and 930 hectares in San Isidro.
Engr.
Eugenio Conde, Jr., manager of the National Irrigation Administration-Upper
Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System (NIA-UPRIIS) Division 4 which holds
jurisdiction over said areas, said the water supply from Peñaranda River “was
abnormally low at only three cubic meters per second or merely 10 percent of
the normal 30 cubic meters per second.”
“Kasi
kakaiba ang nangyayari sa ilog natin sa Peñaranda. For the previous six years
‘yung average flow na nanggagaling sa ilog ay nag-a-average ng 20 to 30 cubic
meters per second,” Conde explained, saying that irrigation officials actually
had to divert water from a reservoir to the river itself due to huge supply and
strong local flow.
“But
this year, nag-umpisa pa nung last week ng December hanggang sa panahong ito,
nagmi-minimum nang about three cubic meters,” he added. The division can get
supplemental supply from Pantabangan reservoir as supplemental source, the
official said.
The
dam he said, has sufficient water but the system still had a hard time
diverting it through the Pampanga Bongabon Irrigation System (PBRIS) due to
both human intervention and natural causes.
“The
problem is yung pagpaparating ng tubig natin from Pantabangan Dam down to PBRIS
dam which serves as storage of water for Division 4,” Conde said. “Of the
designed 20 cubic meter per second, on the average ay umaabot lamang sa 10
cubic meters ang nakakarating, halos ay 50 percent lang, the most is 15
percent” he added.
At
the water requirement of 1.55 cm per hectare, Division 4 needs at least 28
cubic meters per second for its 23,917-hectare service area, according to
Conde. However, only 13 cubic meters per second flow on its canals in the last
six weeks.
A
group of farmers from Candaba trooped to the NIA division office here to air
their concern last week. But Conde said, he could only discuss with them the
current condition of the reservoir and pray for rain, at least over the
Peñaranda watershed.
The
condition slightly improved sometime last week, Conde said, due to “moderate
rainfall at Peñaranda River watershed,” he said. But water supply depleted soon
to again only 40 percent of the requirement, he added.
“Kung
magtutuloy-tuloy ang ulan, palagay ko’y mareresolba natin ‘yan,” he said.