Sunday, August 12, 2007 Cloud-seeding to resume in northern Luzon
THE National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said cloud-seeding operations in Cagayan Valley (Region II) would still continue to save the region from a potential drought, a relief official said Saturday.
NDCC executive officer and concurrent Office of Civil Defense (OCD) administrator Glenn Rabonza said there has been abnormal absence of rainfall in the region, needing the inducement of rain.
“The report that is reaching us is that the arrival of the rains is still abnormal in Region II so our expectation is that the cloud-seeding will continue in Region II,” Rabonza said.
Typhoons Chedeng and Dodong have brought heavy rains in Metro Manila, Ilocos Region (Region 1), Central Luzon (Region III), Southern Tagalog (Region IV), and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
The rains have even caused the evacuation of thousands of families, either due to flooding and landslides. Reports from the NDCC indicated that at least P16 million worth of property have been destroyed by the weather disturbances.
Rabonza said the cloud seeding operations is being spearheaded by the Bureau of Soil Management, a department under the Department of Agriculture.
The NDCC and the OCD have began preparing contingency measures because of the dry spell with the two agencies going to the extent of appealing to the public to conserve water and electricity to avert a crisis. (VR/Sunnex)
