The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has comforted the agricultural sector regarding its preparedness for a potential severe El Niño cycle, pointing to active climate-resilient initiatives aimed at safeguarding agricultural water supplies.
On Monday, the NIA Administrator stated that the authority has taken the initiative to deploy programs designed to counter the shifts in global weather patterns, focusing heavily on strategic adaptation and mitigation.
”Ang NIA naman ay proactive tayo dito sa climate change. In fact, ang mga projects natin ay nakatuon po doon sa tinatawag na climate change resiliency. So, may mga mitigation lalong-lalo na iyong mga adaptation projects po natin ngayon na ginagawa sa NIA, so naka-ready naman po tayo,” Guillen said.
Even with dropping water levels observed across various reservoirs, the Administrator clarified that the agency can effectively schedule irrigation schedules because reservoir capacities are being tracked around the clock.
”Ang maganda sa mga high dams natin, nakikita natin iyong present volume niya ano po. So nalalaman po natin kung ilan talaga iyong kaya natin—iyong programmed area na papatubigan natin,” he said.
To maximize water conservation throughout the dry spell, NIA is advising agricultural workers to pivot toward drought-tolerant alternative crops like corn and mung beans. The agency is actively syncing efforts with local government units and the Department of Agriculture to guide farming communities through these environmental shifts.
”Nakikipagtulungan po tayo sa ibang agencies gaya ng DA at mga LGU,” he said.
The head of the agency also touched upon the recent directive from the National Water Resources Board to temporarily halt irrigation distributions from specific sources, notably the Angat Dam, to secure the drinking water supply for households.
”Dito lang naman po iyan sa Angat ‘no, dahil bumababa po iyong tubig ng Angat. Itong Angat Dam po kasi hindi naman po sa NIA iyan ano. Again, ito ay sa NAPOCOR at dito po natin kinukuha iyong atin—Kung hindi ako nagkakamali ano 90% ng inuming tubig dito sa Metro Manila ay dito po galing, so siyempre priority po muna ang inuming tubig,” he explained.
To address these recurring water deficits permanently, the official put the spotlight on the ongoing development of the Bayabas Dam infrastructure located in Bulacan.
”But sa long-term solution po ng NIA, sa kasalukuyan po ay under construction po iyong ating dam diyan, iyong Bayabas Dam,” he said.
The upcoming infrastructure is designed to catch water from one of Bulacan’s four primary river systems and is engineered to hold a volume of roughly 54 million cubic meters.
Furthermore, NIA has scaled up its rollout of solar-operated irrigation systems, giving farmers the tools to sustain crop yields while cutting down on traditional fuel costs during dry spells.