Personnel put water to recycled bottles for drip irrigation to trees in dam watershed. Contributed photos
PANTABANGAN, Nueva Ecija — A micro-irrigation system, using recycled 1.5 liter plastic bottles, was set-up to water plants and trees within the Pantabangan Watershed areas at the onset of the dry season.
Engr. Rosalinda Bote, department manager of the National Irrigation Administration-Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System (NIA-UPRIIS), expressed hope the project will sustain the growth of recently planted trees in their plantation sites.
The micro-irrigation system, spearheaded by the UPRIIS dam and reservoir division’s watershed management section headed by Engr. Daryl Pascua, involves drip watering to the roots of the plants “to save water and nutrients,” in Abuyo, Malayon, Pascual, and the roadside of Aya and Cabugbugan Monitoring Stations.
The containers are refilled every three days.
“It aims not only to lessen the mortality of planted seedlings due to lack of water and drought at the mountainous plantation sites, but also to promote solid waste management, which is usually a neglected practice on environmental social responsibility,” Bote said.
The said 1.5 plastic bottles were gathered, collected, and recycled, while the bamboo culms were harvested within the Maluyon Plantation area by the WMS personnel.
UPRIIS-DRD manager Engr. Ernesto Ponce said they adhere to NIA’s objective of improving planning, design and implementation of irrigation to be climate change adaptive as UPRIIS continues its pursuit of efficiency through innovations in the management of its watersheds.
