ILOILO City — Irrigation water for Western Visayas’ first cropping season will be released between May and June, but its timing — and adequacy — will depend on water levels in rivers and dams, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) warned.
The uncertainty underscores the vulnerability of agricultural operations to fluctuating natural water supply, even as the agency lays out initial irrigation schedules across the region.
“Usually, we begin our delivery operations in the third week or the last week of May, contingent upon the available water supply,” said Antique Irrigation Management Office (IMO) manager Bernard Castellano.
In Iloilo — which hosts the region’s largest irrigation network — systems serving Aganan, Sta. Barbara, Sibalom, and Barotac Viejo are targeted to begin on May 1.
The Jalaur Extension is set for May 15, followed by Suage on May 16 and Jalaur Proper on June 1.
Iloilo IMO manager Engr. Raymond Mojares stressed that water levels from local dams will ultimately dictate whether these timelines can be sustained.
In Negros Occidental, irrigation rollout is similarly staggered. IMO manager Edna Señadoza said key systems along the Bago and Pangiplan rivers are expected to be fully operational by June 1, although selected areas will already receive water starting May 1.
“For certain designated areas, we will implement irrigation delivery through the Bago River Irrigation System starting May 1,” Señadoza confirmed.
She added that irrigation canals were deliberately shut down throughout April to allow soil recovery and disrupt pest cycles — a move aimed at improving yields in the coming cropping cycle. Desilting operations are also ongoing to improve water flow and system efficiency.
Meanwhile, in Aklan and Capiz, irrigation activities remain in transition. Aklan-Capiz IMO manager Julieta Gallardo said around 500 hectares in Capiz are currently being irrigated under the second dry cropping phase via the Mambusao River Irrigation System.
The shift to wet-season irrigation is scheduled to begin June 1, with the Ibajay-Panakuyan Irrigation System expected to open by June 15. The Aklan River system may also be activated by mid-June, depending on rainfall levels.
“To ensure that our irrigators’ associations and farmer beneficiaries are well-informed, we are planning extensive information dissemination efforts,” Gallardo said.
NIA-6 regional manager Jonel Borres said the agency currently manages 12 national irrigation systems and 1,041 communal systems, irrigating more than 141,664 hectares of farmland across Western Visayas.
The region also operates 141 solar pump irrigation units and one small reservoir system, boosting its capacity to support agricultural production despite supply uncertainties.
As the planting season nears, farmers are closely watching water release schedules, knowing that timely irrigation could spell the difference between a productive harvest and another difficult season./PN
