THE local government of Pantabangan is worried about the possibility of a water supply shortage due to the intense heat caused by the El Niño phenomenon.
Based on the latest data from PAGASA as of 8:00 am on May 8, Wednesday, the reservoir water level of Pantabangan Dam is at 173.61 meters, which is lower compared to the normal high-water level of 221 meters for the dam.
In an exclusive interview with SMNI News, Pantabangan Nueva Ecija Mayor Roberto Agdipa said they are already experiencing a decrease in the water level of the dam.
He noted that the original 1,800 hectares of water in Pantabangan have significantly reduced due to the intense heat.
“Here in Pantabangan, our experience with El Niño has greatly affected us even though we have the Pantabangan Dam. We can see that our water area has become very small, from the 1,800 hectares of water, it’s now probably just a few thousand,” Mayor Roberto Agdipa, Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija said.
The local government of Pantabangan fears that the irrigation systems for farmers will be affected.
“Another critical issue is that if it doesn’t rain in the coming months, our irrigation systems that provide water to other towns and provinces might experience shortages,” Agdipa added.
Aside from the impact on the municipality’s agriculture, Mayor Agdipa also worries that the water shortage will weaken power generation from plants.
“This also affects our power generation where our plants are located, of course, when the water is this low, the generation capacity becomes very limited depending on their order of water supply,” he stressed.
To mitigate the effects of the intense heat, the local government is planning to send letters provinces and municipalities that benefit from the Pantabangan water to plant trees in the area.
“So, one of the effective ways I see is reaching out to the provincial and municipal leaders of areas that benefit from our water supply from Pantabangan Dam for irrigation in rice fields. One of the programs I see is to have continuous tree planting activities here at Pantabangan Dam,” he stated.
Aside from Nueva Ecija, the provinces of Pampanga, Bulacan, and Tarlac also benefit from the water of Pantabangan Dam.
They are now preparing request letters to distribute to each LGU in Central Luzon, expressing their plea to preserve the environment through tree planting activities.
