THE MINDANAO Development Authority (MinDA) said it will help local government units (LGUs) adopt solar-powered water systems for drinking and irrigation.

MinDA Chairman Emmanuel F. Pi帽ol said each solar-powered water generation system unit can provide irrigation water for up to 100 hectares of farm area, depending on the water source, and also for drinking. 聽

鈥淚t saves farmers from the high cost of diesel fuel which they need for their water pumps. Using solar panels to power water drawing engines, the solar-powered irrigation system could source water from deep rivers, creeks, water impounding areas and even wells,鈥 Mr. Pi帽ol said in a social media post over the weekend.

According to Mr. Pi帽ol, MinDA will help Mindanao LGUs develop schemes to recover the initial investment in solar-powered irrigation and solar-powered water systems.

He added that MinDA will seek the help of the Development Bank of the Philippines to offer low-interest loans to LGUs.聽

鈥淪ince it relies on solar power, the solar-powered irrigation system is ideal for dry-season planting, including periods of drought when even the regular irrigation systems of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) cannot provide water,鈥 Mr. Pi帽ol said. 聽

鈥淭he Mindanao Water Supply Program鈥 aims to provide every community in Mindanao with safe potable water and irrigation water to improve agricultural production,鈥 he added.

Mr. Pi帽ol said solar-powered irrigation system will cost about P120,000 per hectare against P450,000 in NIA systems. Solar-powered systems can be built in less than six months and the coverage area can be expanded by constructing a bigger reservoir and laying additional pipe.

He added that LGUs should fund their own solar-powered irrigation and water systems with their higher share of internal revenue allotment starting next year due to the Supreme Court Mandanas ruling. 鈥 Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

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