The news on the radio and TV, well at least the news we get over regional channels, are scary and alarming. The water levels shown at Magat Dam yesterday was almost no where. You can see rocks on the sides already, when before what you see is just a huge basin of water. They say water to the lands for irrigation will be shut off March 20.
The line of priority is water supply for the pipelines, electricity and lastly, water to irrigate farmlands.
As we were discussing the plight of the farmers around us, over breakfast at the farm, it looks bleak. 99% around us are ricefields. A few have fish ponds. Both will be highly affected. We have a crew in the farm, fencing for us. They are assured of work for the coming days from us, but what about the others?
At the start of the news of the El Nino, which was months ago (so let's not pretend that we got caught on the heels), we had slowly installed deep wells, water pumps and drip hoses for the plants and of course our free ranging chickens.
Looking around the fields...you think "what will they do" in this trying times?
1) Plant vegetables to feed themselves and to sell to neighbors. Vegetables are easier to water as they are in plots or containers. You can fetch water to quench the thirst :)
2) Forced to good! Why did I say that? You are forced to dry up your fishponds and ricefields for several months. That will be your most natural way of disinfecting and time to rejuvenate the area.
Time to think out of your plots!
The line of priority is water supply for the pipelines, electricity and lastly, water to irrigate farmlands.
As we were discussing the plight of the farmers around us, over breakfast at the farm, it looks bleak. 99% around us are ricefields. A few have fish ponds. Both will be highly affected. We have a crew in the farm, fencing for us. They are assured of work for the coming days from us, but what about the others?
At the start of the news of the El Nino, which was months ago (so let's not pretend that we got caught on the heels), we had slowly installed deep wells, water pumps and drip hoses for the plants and of course our free ranging chickens.
Looking around the fields...you think "what will they do" in this trying times?
1) Plant vegetables to feed themselves and to sell to neighbors. Vegetables are easier to water as they are in plots or containers. You can fetch water to quench the thirst :)
2) Forced to good! Why did I say that? You are forced to dry up your fishponds and ricefields for several months. That will be your most natural way of disinfecting and time to rejuvenate the area.
Time to think out of your plots!
No comments:
Post a Comment