Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol has proposed that the water supply allocated for agriculture be diverted to Metro Manila at times that irrigation is not needed by farmers to avert crises in the area in the future.
Piñol said he has recommended during the Cabinet-level meeting on water last week to review how the country’s water supply is being utilized among consumers, such as farmers and households.
Piñol added that the government could divert some of the water supply allocated to agriculture, specifically for irrigation, to Metro Manila users when farmers do not need it.
“We do not need water all-year round. What we need is the efficient use of our irrigation system,” he said in an interview with reporters on Wednesday.
“The water in our big dams could be diverted to Metro Manila during times that our rice farmers do not need it,” he added.
Piñol said he suggested the formulation of a “workable” plan on the efficient utilization of the country’s water supply.
“This is something we have long neglected and ignored: irrigation. And we are repeating [it] again and again, that if we do not conserve and manage our water then we will suffer from this problem year after year,” he said.
“Our proposal is that the water in our big dams, where we source our irrigation, could be diverted and used by household. We just need water for about twice a year. We just have to plan properly the use of our water resources,” he added.
“President [Duterte’s] position is correct: there should be greater focus on water management and conservation,” he said.
The DA chief earlier said he is pushing for the passage of a law that allows the Department of Agriculture (DA) to build small reservoirs nationwide to improve the country’s water system to avert future water crises.
The measure was among the recommendations made by the DA at the Cabinet-level meeting on water last week, according to Piñol. The meeting was presided over by Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana.
At the meeting, Piñol said he made a presentation on the threat of a “looming water crisis” to the agriculture sector.
Piñol added that the country’s water supply for agriculture has been declining over the past decades due to major reasons, including continued deforestation and absence of water conservation programs.
The delay in the implementation of irrigation systems and reliance of the farm sector to the traditional irrigation systems are also factors in the looming water crisis.
Piñol also said the frequency of El Niño—now occurring every two years—drains the country’s water supply.