FOR insufficiency of rain in the irrigation dam systems in past months, only 4,523 hectares have been irrigated out of the total 17,515 hectares of target area, Provincial Board Member Lucille Lagunay bared this situation in his privilege speech of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s plenary.
Lagunay cited figures provided to her by National Irrigation Administration (NIA) thru Engr. Maria Donesa Autida, showed that Malinao dam had only provided water to 1,975 or 48% out of 4,150 hectares as target area to be irrigated as of June 26.
Others are Bayongan dam in San Miguel irrigated only 1,030 (30% out of 3,400 hectares; Capayas dam in Ubay town, 70 (8%) out of 923 hectares; Talibon Small Reservoir Impounding Project (SRIP), 152.28 (18%) of 854.47 hectares; and Benliw dam in Ubay, 65 (29% of the 223 hectares.
Communal Irrigation Systems (CIS, smaller than big irrigation systems) in municipalities irrigated only 18% or 1,230 of the 6,951 hectares combined.
This sad situation affected the 28,224 beneficiaries of the irrigation systems and 22,526 farmers based on the damage report submitted to the Office of Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) by 42 of the 47 towns.
Malinao dam services cover the total of 4,463 hectares; Bayongan dam, 4,099 hectares; Capayas Dam, 1,579; Talibon dam, 2,150; Benliw dam, 413; and CIS, 14,456.
In terms of land reparation, only 5,197 or 8% of the total 58,222 hectares for rice; corn, 392.95 (6.69%) of the 22,475 hectares; high value crops, 276.86 0.79%) out of the 17,459.77 hectares; and fishery, 75.36 hectares.
As of June 27, the total damage in agri-fishery, like crops, fishery, livestock, now totaled P458,744,648.
Three federation of farmer-irrigators have appealed to the provincial government to continue the cloud seeding operations.
The lack of rain to supply the irrigation dams has prompted Bayongan-Capayas Dam Federation of Irrigators Association (Bay-CAPA FIA), Federation of Talibon SRIS Irrigators Association (FETASIA) and Malinao Dam Federation of Irrigators Association (MADFIA, Inc) to request the provincial government to continue cloud seeding operations “due to moderate rainfall since the start of cropping season.”
The situation of Ubay is described this way, the farmers “only experience trickles of rain with the little amount of rain only falling within the cracks in the soil but not really seeping through the paddies nor filling up the dam.” Ben Escobia, director of the BAY-CAPA FIA and chair of the Ubay Irrigators Cooperative.
Binlod said that it supported the request of the farmer-irrigators in a bid for agricultural productivity. (rvo)
