Central Luzon irrigation disruptions seen resolved as early as January

THE National Irrigation Administration (NIA) said repairs at the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System are expected to be completed within the month at the earliest.

NIA Administrator Eddie G. Guillen told BusinessWorld that the timetable has been accelerated from the previous estimate of repairs completed and water flow resuming by March.

The repairs involve the Talavera River Phase 1 siphon barrel, part of the CASECNAN Super Diversion Canal, which supplies irrigation to thousands of farmers in Nueva Ecija and Tarlac.

Irrigation in the affected areas was suspended in November due to damage caused by quarrying activities. Mr. Guillen said repairs will cost P53 million.

“The original target was the first week of March, but we are fast-tracking the work,” Mr. Guillen said by phone. “We may finish by mid-January, and if the test run goes well, we can release water by late January or the first week of February.”

Mr. Guillen said a test run will be conducted between Jan. 15 and 20 to ensure leak-free performance before irrigation water is released.

The NIA said the siphon barrel sustained severe damage. Mr. Guillen added that another siphon and a nearby bridge were also affected, also by quarrying.

“The siphon used to be submerged under the riverbed, but because gravel was extracted, it was exposed. Once exposed, it was hit by water and debris, and eventually water passed underneath it, causing serious damage,” he said.

Mr. Guillen said the NIA has filed complaints that led to the suspension of quarrying operations in the area.

The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas has warned that the delay in irrigation could affect nearly 40,000 hectares planted to rice and about 25,000 farmers who had already prepared seedlings for the December cropping season.

Despite the setback, Mr. Guillen said the earlier-than-expected resumption of irrigation could allow farmers to adopt a double dry cropping calendar, which he said could boost rice production.

“If we can release water by late January or early February, farmers can still plant and move toward double dry cropping,” he said.

Mr. Guillen said NIA has been pushing for changes in the crop calendar to avoid overlap with the rainy season, which could help increase output. — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel