Hinoba-an Mayor Daph Anthony Reliquias said Wednesday, April 3, that the water level in his town is already dropping due to drought caused by El Niño phenomenon.
He said that mitigating measures are being undertaken by the municipal government.
As of this time, three barangays - Look, Asia, and part of Bacuyangan - are already experiencing water shortage for their farms that's why water rationing and impounding are initiated by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in coordination with the Bureau of Fire Protection, the mayor said.
Two vehicles from the BFP and another by the local DRRMO are being utilized for water rationing.
Reliquias said they source water from a spring in Barangay Alim. "It never runs out of water despite there being an El Niño in the previous year," the mayor added.
He said, “From the water impounding station, we are using water pumps to supply water to the drying farms.”
Aside from the two mitigating measures, Reliquias said they are also preparing some food assistance for the farmers affected by the drought.
According to the record of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, as of March 24, Hinoba-an has incurred P2.5 million worth of damages to crops.
Meanwhile, the damages to crops in the province due to the drought have already reached P97 million.*