The water level of the Bayongan Dam in San Miguel town has reached to critical level due to the continued dry spell in the province.

Based on the weekly El Niño update submitted by William B. Butron, head, National Irrigation Administration (NIA-Bohol) Integrated Irrigation System (NIA-BIIS) as of last Monday, the actual water level of the Bayongan Dam covering the serving areas of San Miguel, Ubay and Trinidad has reached to 40.20 meters while the critical level is 41.00 meters and when full is 52.00 meters.

Other irrigation systems with critical water elevation levels are Malinao Dam serving the rice lands of Pilar, Alicia, San Miguel, Dagohoy and Ubay; and the Capayas Dam serving the rice fields in Ubay where it is being located.

The water levels of Malinao Dam: actual-148.40m, critical-146.50m, at full-152.00m; Capayas Dam: actual – 32.80m., critical – 30.00m., at full – 36.50m.

The Talibon Dam in Zamora, Talibon covering the rice lands of the town – the water level is far from critical level (actual – 27.48m., critical – 21.00m., at full – 30.00m.)

Butron reported that due to the impact of the El Niño out of the 7,808 hectares (has.) service areas of the four dams only 5,747 has. or 74% of the total target areas were being irrigated for this cropping (2,400 has. for Malinao, 2,354 has. for Bayongan; 418 has. for Capayas and 575 has. for Talibon Dam) due to the experienced minimal water at the dams and reduced  rainfall condition.

He added that of the 3,500 has. target planted areas served by the Malinao Dam – 359 has. are Areas under Crop Maintenance and Reproductive Stage (ACMR) while at the Capayas Dam out of the 700 has. targeted areas – 180 has. are ACMR.

Butron bared that because of the phenomenon, the NIA-BIIS people and the presidents of the irrigators associations had convened and came up with plans to plant diversified crops on areas that could not be served by the irrigation and the adoption of alternate wet and dry in the delivery of irrigation water.

The NIA-BIIS had requested the Department of Agriculture (DA) to implement the cloud seeding program if drought will continue and requested the (DA) and the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) to facilitate/support/assist the seed requirements.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA) said the El Niño Phenomenon started in 2014 and might extend until June this year. (Atoy Cosap)