El Niño fight in Ilocos Region intensifies

URDANETA CITY, Pangasinan — The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in Ilocos Region said it has intensified water management and irrigation monitoring measures as El Niño threats loom over key agricultural areas.

NIA data showed that Region 1 currently has 184,027 hectares of developed irrigation service area covering Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, and La Union, serving more than 160,000 farmer beneficiaries through 29 national irrigation systems and 1,076 communal irrigation systems.

Among the provinces, Pangasinan has the biggest irrigated area at 103,685 hectares, followed by Ilocos Norte with 34,948 hectares, Ilocos Sur with 28,056 hectares and La Union with 17,335 hectares.

Ongoing mitigation efforts include tighter water distribution, canal rehabilitation, desilting operations and repairs of diversion dams to reduce water losses during prolonged dry spells, according to NIA Region 1 Acting Regional Manager Geffrey B. Catulin.

NIA-Region 1 is also accelerating major irrigation projects such as the nearly completed Paitan Dam in Sta. Maria, Pangasinan, which is expected to stabilize irrigation supply in southern Pangasinan and lessen farmers’ dependence on rainfall.

Other ongoing projects include the Dumoloc Small Reservoir Irrigation Project in Bugallon, Pangasinan, which will irrigate 1,632 hectares benefiting 1,484 farmers, and the Bayaoas Small Reservoir Irrigation Project in Aguilar and Mangatarem towns covering 1,400 hectares for 958 farmer-beneficiaries.

Mr. Catulin also primed that continuous coordination with irrigators’ associations and local governments remains crucial in protecting crop productivity and ensuring stable water supply across Region 1’s major rice-producing provinces amid the threat of another dry spell. — Artemio A. Dumlao