THE irrigation development in the Davao Region is currently at 50 percent, the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) - Davao reported.
NIA-Davao Regional Manager Jimmy Apostol said that out of 177,000 hectares of potential irrigable areas in the region, only 74,000 hectares have access to the irrigation system.
However, of these numbers, only 54,000 hectares are currently planted with rice and other crops like high-valued crops, fruit trees, or orchards, are being irrigated.
Considering the effect of El Niño, Apostol said that only 25,000-hectare areas would be irrigated and sustained, saying “kay ang uban during dry season, dili man gyud na maabot kay mo-reduce man ang tubig (The other areas during dry season, can’t be reached because water would reduce).”
However, he said the agency has been outlining and undertaking interventions with the support of various Irrigators Associations (IAs) in the region to ensure sustainable and equitable water delivery despite the depleting water source brought about by El Niño and, at the same time, expand the irrigation system into potential irrigable areas like upland areas.
In the celebration of Irrigators Association (IA) Day on Aug. 24 in Davao City, Apostol noted that they have been building solar-powered pumping facilities across the region to meet the demand for water supply among farmlands.
“We have made solar-powered pump, distributed different areas in Davao, and we’re still programming additional because there are really areas which can’t be reached,” he said in the vernacular.
Recently, he revealed that they have inaugurated and turned over a solar-powered irrigation facility worth P23 million in Davao Oriental.
NIA-XI is currently conducting a study or detailed engineering design for reservoir projects or water-impounding facilities in Davao Region.
Apostol said they have identified two impounding projects which are in the process for detailed engineering design, and that they are conducting underground surveys to determine the quality and depth of the land.
“Either next year or in the year 2025, the construction will commence. We have Davao de Oro and Davao del Sur,” he added.
Apostol said that aside from building irrigation facilities, they have also been maintaining the existing irrigation systems such as dams, reservoirs, irrigation canals, and drainage systems.
For instance, he cited that they have constructed protective dikes along river banks to protect dams from eroding caused by flash floods and quarrying downstream, such as in Davao del Norte, the recently-completed protection dike in Padada, Davao del Sur, and the ongoing construction in Lasang, Davao City.
Aside from building and maintaining irrigation facilities, Apostol emphasized the importance of proper management of water resources to counter water scarcity caused by El Niño.
As an intervention, he said that they are imposing water scheduling to ensure equitable water distribution among farmlands.
They are also encouraging rice farmers to use early-maturing rice seeds as introduced by the Department of Agriculture. PIA DAVAO