BAGUIO CITY (PIA) -- The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) continues to ramp measures to ensure sufficient water supply in areas covered by its irrigation system.

NIA Cordillera operations section chief Chrisanta Beray said that while there is a decrease in the water level in the river systems where they source water, it is still sufficient to supply water for irrigation this dry season.

"As per monitoring tayo ket talaga nga bimmaba ti volume ti danum idjay river nga isu met ti pangal-alaan mi iti source para kadagitoy irrigation system, she stated

[Based on our monitoring, the volume of water in the rivers where we source water for our irrigation systems has decreased].

Beray said they also have inspected the vulnerable areas identified by the Philippine Rice Research Institute to determine the proper course of action to take to mitigate the effects of the weather phenomenon.

A total of 2,849 hectares of farmlands covered by the NIA are said to be vulnerable to El Niño. 

"Kadakkelan ket iti Apayao nga ayan ti ad-adu ti proyekto ti NIA a posible a maapektaran,” Beray said.

[Likely to be affected are mostly in Apayao where  there are many NIA projects]

Beray said that even before the start of cropping season, the NIA together with the irrigators' associations laid out an operation and maintenance plan to ensure the proper scheduling of water delivery to irrigation areas.

NIA has also installed 19 solar-powered irrigation pumps, constructed small irrigation projects in 2023. It continues the repair and restoration efforts on the irrigation systems.  

She added that irrigators' associations were also taught to adapt water-saving technologies such as alternate wetting and drying.

The agency, in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, also funded a watershed management program that was rolled out  at the Upper Chico River Irrigation System and West Apayao Abulug Irrigation System areas. This program aims to plant more trees to increase water supply in the watershed areas.

NIA continues repair and restoration efforts on the irrigation systems. It also encourages farmers to plant early-maturing crop varieties.

Based on the agroclimatic/crop condition assessment of PAGASA for January 2024, all the provinces in Cordillera received inadequate amounts of rainfall to support both rice and corn crops. The three-month accumulated rainfall showed that most of the provinces experienced slightly drier than average conditions, except for some areas in Abra, Kalinga, and Mountain Province where significantly drier conditions were observed.

PAGASA outlook also shows that the whole Cordillera will be in a drought condition by the end of February. (DEG-PIA CAR)