(December 21, 2023) – Ahead of the peak of El Niño, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Nueva Ecija and Cavite are already facing drought, a condition that burdens communities and the agriculture sector.
Drought, according to PAGASA, refers to either five consecutive months of below-normal rainfall or three consecutive months of way-below-normal rainfall.
“In January, meteorological drought will persist in other Luzon areas,” said PAGASA climate monitoring and prediction section’s Ana Liza Solis during a climate forum.
Data shows that there could be at least 15 provinces facing drought by the end of January. Aside from Nueva Ecija and Cavite, the list also includes Benguet, Kalinga, Apayao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Batan, Tarlac, Zambales, Pampanga, and Palawan.
Solis added that the western portion of Luzon could be the most heavily impacted area by below-normal rainfall. If those places also experience long periods of drought, she said soil moisture could be affected.
“Although mataas ang likelihood ng climate anomalies gaya ng pagkakaroon ng kaunting bilang ng bagyo na pumapasok sa atin, the impact—lalo na on different sectors—‘yun ang magkakaiba. Hindi pare-pareho ang magiging impact whether El Niño is strong or not,” explained Solis.
As of December 17, PAGASA records showed that there are already 25 areas under dry spells after experiencing either three consecutive months of below-normal rainfall or two consecutive months of way-below-normal rainfall.
Metro Manila, Rizal, Palawan, the Cordillera Administrative Region, and Central Luzon have dry spells. In Visayas and Mindanao, dry spells are experienced in Negros Occidental, Basilan, and Maguindanao.
Dry condition, which means two consecutive months of below-normal rainfall conditions, has been reported in Abra, Batanes, Bohol, Bukidnon, and Misamis Oriental.
El Niño is expected to peak around March or April next year. At that point, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) estimates that there could be 63 provinces nationwide to face severe drought conditions.
President Bongbong Marcos Jr. has revived the El Niño Task Force to address the effects of this weather condition. Department of National Defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro will serve as chairperson while DOST secretary Renato Solidum Jr. will be the co-chairperson.
“Para mapaghandaan nang maaga at masolusyunan nang mabilisan ang magiging interventions at patuloy na monitoring at pag-aagap, paghahanda sa maaaring maging epekto ng El Niño,” said Teodoro, adding that the executive order will be released by the Malacañang “as soon as possible.”
In his past speeches, Marcos also urged concerned government agencies to speed up the completion of water-related projects to counter the effects of El Niño.
Marcos, who previously headed the Department of Agriculture, stressed the need to finish the construction of irrigation facilities and similar structures to aid farmers during El Niño.
“Pag-umpisa na siguro ng Enero baka hindi na masyadong uulan, kaya kailangan natin gawin ang lahat ng kaya natin para tayo ay makapaghanda sa tagtuyot na baka umabot ng second quarter,” said Marcos.
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