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THE San
Roque dam will start releasing 90 cubic meters of water
per second to Pangasinan farmers for two weeks from
today, to alleviate the near-drought conditions in that
province and allow farmers to reap bettrer palay
harvests, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said
Thursday.
The
towns that will benefit include San Miguel, Asingan,
Villasis, Urdaneta, Binalonan, Laoac, Manaoag and Sta.
Barbara.
Yap made
possible the release of the water for irrigation by his
appeal to the National Power Corporation, which stopped
releasing water for irrigation after the water level in
San Roque dropped to 226.7 meters.
Dr.
Nathaniel Servando, deputy director for research and
development of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical
and Astronomical Administration (Pagasa), has some good
news—although August may tend to be dry, typhoons are
expected sometime that month and the next two months, so
that water availability will normalize in September and
October.
Rains
will become abundant in November and December in Luzon,
while rains will be above average in the Visayas and
Mindanao.
Servando
said the Philippines is likely experiencing a possible
transition from neutral to La Niña—lots of rain—within
the months of September and October, based on the latest
observations and forecast of the El Niño southern
oscillation condition over the central and eastern
equatorial Pacific.
In any
case, Yap also assured the affected farmers that his
department would continue cloud-seeding operations and
extend assistance to them by giving them palay seeds and
offering alternative means of livelihood, such as
providing seeds for short-gestating crops like mongo and
ampalaya.
He said
the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) will
continue repairs and rehabilitation of irrigation canals
for better distribution of irrigation water and drastic
reduction of water losses.
Yap gave
assurances that the impact of the prolonged dry spell
remains manageable, that the situation has not reached
critical level, and that water levels in other dams in
Luzon are still sufficient to irrigate newly planted
rice fields, especially in Regions 2 and 3.
The NIA
regional office in Nueva Ecija and Cagayan Valley
reported that both the Pantabangan and Magat dams have
enough water for their respective service areas.
Science
Secretary Estella Alabastro said they are continuously
monitoring the weather and will continue to help in the
overall effort to mitigate the adverse effect of the
long dry spell.
She said
department scientists have recommended that to prevent
heat stress, animal pens and housings should have
appropriate ventilation and cool, clear water.
Drought-resistant tree species, such as akleng parang,
alibangbang, binayu, ipil-ipil, kamachile and katurai,
should be planted to help mitigate the effects of
extreme drought. Drought-resistant corn and rice can
also be planted, particularly in
Luzon, which continues to experience the dry spell.
Dr.
Rafael D. Guerrero III, executive director of the
Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and
Development, said that while marine fisheries will
generally not be affected by drought, there will be low
productivity in freshwater fishponds and brackish water
fishponds, as well as cage culture in inland waters in
Luzon. (With J. Mayuga) |
