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Thursday, July 26, 2007
Arroyo calls for water conservation amid drought
MANILA -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Wednesday ordered government agencies to prepare for a possible drought in Metro Manila and Luzon if the dry spell being experienced since June persists until August.
Arroyo gave the order after getting a briefing from disaster officials shortly after her speech before the National Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Disaster Risk Reduction in Makati City.
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Science Undersecretary Graciano Yumul Jr., who is also officer-in-charge of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), said Metro Manila received minimal rainfall in June and no rainfall at all in July.
Yumul said if the situation continues in August, the weather bureau would have to declare a drought in the metropolis and other parts of Luzon.
He said a drought exists if an area has not received any rainfall in three successive months. "It is very strange because we are supposed to be in a rainy season," he said.
He said the signs show that Metro Manila and parts of Luzon are already "meteorologically, agriculturally, and hydrologically" experiencing a drought.
He cited the red tide in Sorsogon with Lingayen Gulf and Manila Bay following, warmer than normal air, blackouts, urban fires, and other health-related concerns.
Yumul added that Mindanao is "supposed to be dry but it's very wet" while Luzon is "supposed to be wet but it's very dry."
He said elsewhere in the world, one part of Europe is experiencing floods while another part is suffering a heat wave while India and Indonesia are having floods.
He said the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) is on top of the situation even as Arroyo ordered the NDCC to monitor the dry spell and launch an information drive.
President Arroyo appealed to the public to conserve water and ordered the agriculture department to plant crops that do not need much water.
Yumul said Metro Manila might have to undergo water distribution if the situation worsens. He said the rains that are being experienced in Metro Manila and parts of Luzon in the afternoon are due to cloud-seeding operations by the energy department and the National Power Corp. (Napocor).
The President ordered water impounding and use of shallow tube wells as a short-term solution, and rehabilitation of deep wells, water harvesting, planting of drought-resistant crops, modifying the cropping calendar, and monitoring the ground water level in the long-term.
She also told Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap to re-channel some of the funds for irrigation repair to water impounding.
Yap said the issue of red tide or algal bloom is "critical," which means aquaculture expansions would have to be moved to other areas. "Go to Sorsogon, then," Arroyo told him.
Yap said those who will be displaced would be given livelihood by making them repair dikes.
Napocor President Cyril del Callar said they will add another plane for cloud-seeding operations, bringing the number of aircraft for cloud-seeding to three.
Arroyo also ordered the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to inform the public against fire hazards.
During her speech at the National Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Disaster Risk Reduction, Arroyo told NDCC to ensure that local government units have exhausted their own calamity funds first before recommending the release of money from the National Government.
Arroyo called for a comprehensive framework that would reduce the risk and cost of natural disasters.
Nileema Noble, UN resident coordinator and resident representative of the UN Development Programme, said the Philippines should consider the possibility of insuring crops and cattle in case of calamity as an emergency measure, which is being done in flood- and famine- prone Ethiopia. (JMR/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Iloilo. (July 26, 2007 issue)
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