SAN SIMON, Pampanga – Officials of all eight towns in this province’s fourth district gathered yesterday to declare a state of calamity in their areas as El Niño’s drought threatened to destroy thousands of hectares of their crops amid the withdrawal of irrigation water from their areas in favor of the needs of Metro Manila folk.
In an interview, 4th district Rep. Anna York Bondoc said 14,000 hectares of rice crops in the entire Pampanga are under serious threat from drought.
“No less than 3,000 families of farmers in my district will starve if their crops fail due to lack of irrigation, as she noted that the farmers harvest only once a year,” she warned, noting that the families have yet to make up for their heavy losses from the floods wrought by storm Ondoy and Typhoon Pepeng last year.
Bondoc said the National Water and Resources Board (NWRB) has already implemented plans to withdraw irrigation water from the Angat-Maasim River Irrigation System (AMRIS) to sustain the potable water needs of Metro Manila. Some parts of Bulacan also depend on AMRIS for irrigation.
She said the withdrawal of irrigation water was reported to be part of the agreed measures to be adopted amid the threat of El Niño during a meeting held by the NWRB way back last January.
She lamented, however, that farmers and local officials affected in Pampanga and Bulacan were not included in the meeting.
“This is a perennial problem, with the Manila Water and Sewerage System perpetually diverting water from farmers. In the 5 years since this problem was discussed with me, alternative source of water for Metro Manila has never been developed. The proposed Laiban dam for this has never taken off ground,” she said.
Bondoc added that tilapia and bangus fish are also dying in fishponds in Candaba, San Luis, Minalin, Masantol, Macabebe and Sto. Tomas towns in her district.
“There’s no help coming from the national government,” she lamented. She reported that in her district alone, no less than 3,000 hectares of standing rice crops are expected to wilt within two weeks if they are not irrigated.
“The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) refuse to meet with local officials and farmers,” she said, as she deplored lack of funds to implement measures against El Niño.
Bondoc said the towns of San Luis, Apalit, Candaba, San Simon, Masantol, Macabebe, Minalin and Sto. Tomas will declare a state of calamity in their towns to enable their local governments to use local funds for emergency measures.
She noted that rice crops almost ready for harvest are in danger of being totally destroyed by lack of irrigation in San Luis, Apalit, Candaba and San Luis, amid fish kills reported in Candaba, San Luis, Minalin, Masantol, Macabebe and Sto. Tomas.
Of some 14,000 hectares of rice crops under threat in Pampanga, some 13,228 hectares are in the fourth district, she said.
“The most vulnerable are rice crops irrigated by the AMRIS irrigation system,” she said.
Bondoc noted that farmers now affected by El Niño in Pampanga were also affected by storm Ondoy and typhoon Pepeng’s floods which destroyed 12,000 hectares last year.
Local fishpond operators, on the other hand, reported losses worth P300 million due to the floods.
Some P161 million worth of irrigation canals were destroyed during the floods, but no funds were given to repair them, she said.
Bondoc urged the national government to release funds for earlier proposed solutions to the problems affecting farmers, including P20 million to connect the Upper Pampanga River Irrigation System UPRIS to the AMRIS systems and P70 million for shallow tube well installations.
In an interview, 4th district Rep. Anna York Bondoc said 14,000 hectares of rice crops in the entire Pampanga are under serious threat from drought.
“No less than 3,000 families of farmers in my district will starve if their crops fail due to lack of irrigation, as she noted that the farmers harvest only once a year,” she warned, noting that the families have yet to make up for their heavy losses from the floods wrought by storm Ondoy and Typhoon Pepeng last year.
Bondoc said the National Water and Resources Board (NWRB) has already implemented plans to withdraw irrigation water from the Angat-Maasim River Irrigation System (AMRIS) to sustain the potable water needs of Metro Manila. Some parts of Bulacan also depend on AMRIS for irrigation.
She said the withdrawal of irrigation water was reported to be part of the agreed measures to be adopted amid the threat of El Niño during a meeting held by the NWRB way back last January.
She lamented, however, that farmers and local officials affected in Pampanga and Bulacan were not included in the meeting.
“This is a perennial problem, with the Manila Water and Sewerage System perpetually diverting water from farmers. In the 5 years since this problem was discussed with me, alternative source of water for Metro Manila has never been developed. The proposed Laiban dam for this has never taken off ground,” she said.
Bondoc added that tilapia and bangus fish are also dying in fishponds in Candaba, San Luis, Minalin, Masantol, Macabebe and Sto. Tomas towns in her district.
“There’s no help coming from the national government,” she lamented. She reported that in her district alone, no less than 3,000 hectares of standing rice crops are expected to wilt within two weeks if they are not irrigated.
“The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) refuse to meet with local officials and farmers,” she said, as she deplored lack of funds to implement measures against El Niño.
Bondoc said the towns of San Luis, Apalit, Candaba, San Simon, Masantol, Macabebe, Minalin and Sto. Tomas will declare a state of calamity in their towns to enable their local governments to use local funds for emergency measures.
She noted that rice crops almost ready for harvest are in danger of being totally destroyed by lack of irrigation in San Luis, Apalit, Candaba and San Luis, amid fish kills reported in Candaba, San Luis, Minalin, Masantol, Macabebe and Sto. Tomas.
Of some 14,000 hectares of rice crops under threat in Pampanga, some 13,228 hectares are in the fourth district, she said.
“The most vulnerable are rice crops irrigated by the AMRIS irrigation system,” she said.
Bondoc noted that farmers now affected by El Niño in Pampanga were also affected by storm Ondoy and typhoon Pepeng’s floods which destroyed 12,000 hectares last year.
Local fishpond operators, on the other hand, reported losses worth P300 million due to the floods.
Some P161 million worth of irrigation canals were destroyed during the floods, but no funds were given to repair them, she said.
Bondoc urged the national government to release funds for earlier proposed solutions to the problems affecting farmers, including P20 million to connect the Upper Pampanga River Irrigation System UPRIS to the AMRIS systems and P70 million for shallow tube well installations.
