State of calamity looms in dry spell-hit Isabela

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines – A state of calamity looms in neighboring Isabela due to the worsening effects of the dry spell, which has caused the drying up of thousands of hectares of farmlands in the province.

Dr. Danilo Tumamao, Isabela agriculture officer, said they are now considering placing the province under a state of calamity due to the continued dry spell, which has already affected some 200,000 hectares of farmlands throughout the province.

“(Our office) would recommend the declaration of (Isabela) under a calamity state since the damage from El Niño in the province is now nearing 20 percent,” said Tumamao, adding that he would make the recommendation after their evaluation meeting this week.

Tumamao made the statement in the wake of reports that most areas in Isabela, among them Cauayan City, are set to declare a state of calamity due to the dry spell, which threatens almost all the corn farms. Isabela is the country’s top corn producer.

Tumamao said the dry spell has already affected at least 60,000 of the 130,000 hectares of corn lands in the province and this could worsen as El Niño is expected to aggravate in the coming weeks.

Of the corn farms now affected, he said more than 5,000 hectares were “already beyond recovery. The rest already bore signs (of getting destroyed or damaged).”

“We foresee the spread of areas affected by the dry spell if no rainfall takes place (soon),” he said.

According to the Department of Agriculture (DA), at least 40,000 hectares of both irrigated and rain-fed rice fields in Isabela are also experiencing the dry spell.

Isabela is also the country’s second biggest rice producer after Nueva Ecija, but it has the highest combined rice and corn production in the entire country.

The feared low corn output this cropping season may result in an increase in the prices of fertilizers and livestock feeds since corn is a major component of these products.

Besides cloud seeding, which is now being undertaken as an immediate mitigating measure, the DA said it is considering mechanical solutions such as water pumps and the repair of irrigation systems, as well as assistance to farmers in the affected areas.

“But we have not been able to do this more often since (cloud seeding) depends on the availability of (rain-induced) clouds,” Tumamao said.

Meanwhile, the Isabela-based Magat Dam, one of the country’s major sources of power and irrigation, would shut down operations in two months if its water level continues to drop to an alarming level due to the early dry spell.

Mike Hosillos, communications chief of SN Aboitiz Power, which now owns and operates the former government-run power facility, said they have no recourse but to temporarily stop generating power for the Luzon grid if the dam’s water level reaches 160 meters.

Agriculture and irrigation officials said the present stock of water in the dam’s reservoir would only last until mid-April if there would be no rainfall.

As of the latest measurement, the dam’s water level has reached 171.22 meters or barely nine meters from the 160-meter minimum operational level. 

“The 160-meter level is our minimum operation level. One drop further means we will be forced to temporarily stop operations,” said engineer Melvyn Eugenio, manager of the Magat power plant.

Dam officials, however, gave assurance that a reduction in or temporary halt to power generation would not generally affect power supply in the Luzon grid.

“There is no danger of a power shortage in the Luzon grid even if Magat shuts down for awhile due to the dry spell since the other power facilities in Luzon will take over our deficiency,” Eugenio said.