EL NIÑO DISPATCH
Measures in place vs El Nino in Magat dam service areas
As early as December last year, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has already been implementing water conservation measures in areas serviced by the Magat Dam in anticipation of the effects of the El Niño dry spell that is now scorching farms in northern Luzon.
Agriculture officials said that with the Magat River Integrated Irrigation System (MARIIS) facing the same challenge during five earlier dry seasons, the National Irrigation System has formulated preemptive measures to cushion the impact of droughts on the operation of irrigation systems.
DA Secretary Bernie Fondevilla said such measures, which the NIA began implementing in December 2009, include the gradual reduction in weekly irrigation releases, which has now reached 40%; rotational schemes in irrigating farms; proper canal clearing and maintenance to remove obstructions from the dam head gates to the turnouts; strict monitoring of irrigation water distribution; and a massive information drive to educate farm stakeholders about the conservation program and urge them to support it.
“As of February 18, the elevation in the Magat Reservoir has already neared the critical level at 161.73 meters. The effects of the forecasted El Niño is now being felt within the Magat Dam watershed and the MARIIS service area,” Fondevilla said. “The DA, anticipating the effects of the El Nino on the dam’s water levels, has long been implementing measures to ensure that farms continue to have enough water.”
The MARIIS service area includes the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Apayao and Isabela.
This project consists of the Magat reservoir, three diversion dams, irrigation canals, hydroelectric powers plants and three pumping stations to supply irrigation water to 97,000 hectares of farmland.
Historically, the average daily inflow for the month of December in the Magat reservoir is 168.23 cm. However, for December 2009, it was only at 52.13 cm.
The average daily inflow for January 2010 is merely 33.7 cm, significantly lower than the historical 110.00 cm average daily inflow for January.
Fondevilla said that besides the regular measures formulated by NIA, the DA has also been carrying out cloud seeding within the Magat watershed and the MARIIS service area, and constructing earth dams and embankments across waterways and creeks to tap or reuse water and divert it to existing irrigation canals.
The government has also provided a total of 50 shallow tube well pumps irrigate drought-hit areas located in the high portions and end check areas of the MARIIS, Fondevilla said. (DA Press Office)
