MANILA — As the state weather bureau warned of a possible dry spell in the latter part of 2023 until early next year, President Marcos on Monday stated that the government is undertaking measures to ensure sufficient supply of water for irrigation during El Niño.
Marcos, who concurrently serves as agriculture secretary, said among the steps the government is considering are changing the designs of dams and the use of solar power to run irrigation pumps.
“Now we are concerned about El Niño. And we are making many plans so that (the allocation) for irrigation will not be reduced,” the President said in a speech during the distribution of projects and programs at the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) in the Science City of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija.
In another interview aired over PTV yesterday, the President said they are also looking at rainwater harvesting as another solution to augment water supply in preparation for El Niño.
Apart from addressing the irrigation problem, Marcos said the government is also working to improve research and development to increase agricultural productivity.
National Irrigation Administration acting chief Eduardo Guillen last week said they have formulated short-, medium- and long-term solutions to the impending drought to hit the country in the next months.
“In fact, we have what is called a cropping calendar where we plan how much we can irrigate. And here, we are prioritizing those areas that are close to the source for rice planting,” Guillen told a Palace briefing.
He said the government is pushing for the planting of hybrid rice during the dry season. “We will concentrate on hybrid rice because its output is actually two times during the dry season.”
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Administration (PAGASA) deputy administrator Esperanza Cayanan has said El Niño, which brings below normal rainfall, could intensify in the last quarter of the year or early next year.
In February, Marcos approved the creation of a Water Resource Management Office to manage the country’s water resources and respond to the current environmental challenges.
P15 million budget
In Negros, the Office of the Provincial Agriculture (OPA) has sought a P15-million budget to soften the impact of El Niño to Negrense farmers, according to OPA head Edmundo Causing.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson earlier said he is supporting the call of Negros Occidental 5th district Rep. Emilio Yulo for cloud seeding operations in the agricultural areas in Negros Occidental, especially the sugar plantations.
Lacson said cloud seeding is one of the options to alleviate the dry condition, pointing out there is still cloud cover and some areas are even experiencing rainfall.
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