By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) will assess the Negros Occidental provincial government’s request for cloud-seeding, which was made in response to ongoing El Niño conditions.

According to AccuWeather, El Niño is a climate pattern that raises sea temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. Such a system can contribute to drought conditions due to reduced rainfall.

Department of Agriculture-Region 6 operations division chief Rene B. Famoso said the BSWM will review the current situation in the province before forwarding any recommendations.

He pointed out, cloud-seeding operations are not easy since, depending on conditions, the materials needed for the process may be blown away by high winds or rain may end up occurring elsewhere.

Famoso also revealed that, aside from Negros Occidental, Guimaras has also requested cloud-seeding operations.

Earlier, Department of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol advised Negros Occidental to prepare for El Niño, which he said is expected to wane towards the end of April or May in other parts of the country, but the forecast is not good for Negros.

“The dry spell in Negros Occidental, Mindoro, and Palawan will linger until late November,” he said./DGB, WDJ