CABANATUAN CITY – Pantabangan Dam, which water is seen to be “more than enough” than to sustain the requirement of its service area amid the prolonged dry spell, would undertake the irrigation aspects of Angat Dam, officials disclosed.
Engr. Antonio Nangel, operations manager of the National Irrigation Administration-Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System (NIA-URIIS) that operates Pantabangan Dam, has informed the Department of Agriculture (DA) of the system’s capability to provide irrigation water to ricefields covered by Angat Dam, in Bulacan.
This means that Angat would be relieved of its irrigation duties and instead focus more on potable water for Metro Manila areas and power generation for the meantime, according to Agriculture Sec. Bernie Fondevilla.
Fondevilla would not specify the actual volume or area of farm field to be serviced by NIA-UPRIIS in Bulacan but said “the preparation is underway.”
Nangel said that despite El Nino phenomenon, they were able to actually increase to 102,550 hectares its programmed area for this second crop season and provide more for the so called quick turn around and rationing.
With its water level pegged at over 200 meters, the entire programmed area in Nueva Ecija and adjoining provinces are assured of enough supply, according to Nangel.
NIA-UPRIIS has stored water, boosted by the operation of the Casecnan Multi-Purpose Irrigation and Power Project (CMIPP), when officials decided to release water at the onset of typhoons before the end of 2010 instead of having it flowed during or after the disaster.
“We studied it and coordinated with Gov. (Aurelio) Umali and came out with a good approach,” said Nangel.
Engr. Antonio Nangel, operations manager of the National Irrigation Administration-Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System (NIA-URIIS) that operates Pantabangan Dam, has informed the Department of Agriculture (DA) of the system’s capability to provide irrigation water to ricefields covered by Angat Dam, in Bulacan.
This means that Angat would be relieved of its irrigation duties and instead focus more on potable water for Metro Manila areas and power generation for the meantime, according to Agriculture Sec. Bernie Fondevilla.
Fondevilla would not specify the actual volume or area of farm field to be serviced by NIA-UPRIIS in Bulacan but said “the preparation is underway.”
Nangel said that despite El Nino phenomenon, they were able to actually increase to 102,550 hectares its programmed area for this second crop season and provide more for the so called quick turn around and rationing.
With its water level pegged at over 200 meters, the entire programmed area in Nueva Ecija and adjoining provinces are assured of enough supply, according to Nangel.
NIA-UPRIIS has stored water, boosted by the operation of the Casecnan Multi-Purpose Irrigation and Power Project (CMIPP), when officials decided to release water at the onset of typhoons before the end of 2010 instead of having it flowed during or after the disaster.
“We studied it and coordinated with Gov. (Aurelio) Umali and came out with a good approach,” said Nangel.
