ENOUGH WATER FOR SUMMER. Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS) of Central Luzon, delivers his message during the general assembly of the Angat-Bustos-Pandi Farmers’ Association held at the covered court of Barangay Tibagin in Bustos, Bulacan on Saturday (Nov. 9, 2019). He assured land farmers from the three towns that they can now proceed to cultivate with their land preparations for the dry cropping season with an assured water irrigation supply. (Photo courtesy of PIA-Bulacan)
BUSTOS, Bulacan -- Farmers of irrigated lands in the towns of Angat, Bustos, and Pandi in this province can proceed with their land preparations for the dry cropping season without worrying about water irrigation supply.
This was assured by Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and the Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS) of Central Luzon during the general assembly of the Angat-Bustos-Pandi Farmers’ Association held on Saturday at the covered court of Barangay Tibagin here.
Galvez said the farmers can now start their land preparations so that their rice crops can be harvested in February and March next year, despite the low water elevation in Angat Dam.
Sevillo David Jr., executive director of the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), meanwhile, said the first priority for water coming from Angat Dam is the domestic water consumption for Metro Manila residents, second is for power generation for electricity and third, for irrigation supply to Bulacan farmlands and some parts of Pampanga.
For this month of November, David said Angat Dam only has an irrigation supply allocation of 17 cubic meters per second (cms) compared to 30 cms last month.
Felix Robles, head of the water control and coordinating unit of Bustos Dam, said the towns of Angat, Bustos, and Pandi have more or less 3,000 hectares of irrigated rice lands.
The entire province of Bulacan has a total of more than 17,000 hectares of irrigated rice lands and some 13,000 farmers.
Pampanga, on the other hand, has a total of more than 9,000 hectares of irrigated rice lands with some 7,000 farmers benefitting from Bustos Dam’s irrigation water. (PNA)
