CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija–Water
level at the giant Pantabangan Dam, which irrigates over 100,000 hectares of
agricultural lands in three provinces in Central Luzon, dropped to 181 meters
yesterday amid the searing heat and is now nearing critical level.
Engineer Josie Salazar, operations manager of the National
Irrigations Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (UPRIIS) said the
water level at the dam is now at 181.44 meters as of noon yesterday, which is
lower compared to the 187.05 meters they recorded over the same period last
year.
Yesterday’s water level was way below the spilling level of
221 meters and is barely 9.44 meters above the critical level of 172 meters. It
is projected to go down to 181.19 meters by the end of this month and to 178.3
meters by the end of June.
Salazar attributed the dip in the dam’s water level to
climate change, high temperature and additional area programmed for irrigation.
She said that for this year, they have programmed for
irrigation 114,026 hectares, up by 2,772 hectares from last year’s 111, 254 hectares.
Salazar stressed that in spite of the dwindling water
supply, there is nothing to worry about since this is a normal occurrence
during this time of the year.
“The dam can manage all irrigated areas until the end of
May and farmers are advised to maximize the use of water from the dam,”she
said.
UPRIIS is the country’s largest national irrigation systems
administratively supervised by NIA. It operates the World Bank-funded Pantabangan
Dam which irrigates farmlands in Nueva Ecija, San Miguel and San Ildefonso in
Bulacan and Arayat in Pampanga.
Water
level at the Masiway, Rizal and Aulo Dams located at the downstream of
Pantabangan Dam had also dwindled due to intense heat and lack of rains. (Manny Galvez)
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