By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
The Negros Occidental Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) closely monitors the water supply for irrigation of agricultural fields amid the threat posed by the El Niño phenomenon.
OPA head Dr. Edmundo Causing said they have yet to determine if the supply is enough to irrigate rice fields.
For now, Causing said rain water is being used for rice fields and Negrense farmers are no longer planting for the second cropping season due to the current dry conditions.
He advised farmers to temporarily switch to planting drought-resistant produce such as root crops as an alternative.
Based on their latest monitoring, Causing said they have yet to monitor damage to crops brought by the dry spell.
The OPA’s Agricultural Engineering Division has already coordinated with the various local government units in the province with regards to agricultural crops, particularly rice, in the localities.
Earlier, provincial administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz said Negros Occidental has already prepared for the upcoming dry spell brought by the El Niño phenomenon, and “tiempo muerto” or the closing of the sugar milling season in the province.
Diaz said the final feasibility study for the bulk water project may already be completed in the first two weeks of this month.
The local government units subscribed to the project will have enough supply of water.
“Hopefully, our wells will not be affected by El Niño,” he said.
Diaz said reforestation projects by the national and local government units have been implemented in the southern part of the province.
Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the provincial government is confident that they will be able to manage the upcoming dry spell.
However, Lacson said the province would still have a high chance of going through the phenomenon this year.
He added he doesn’t see any problems as vast areas in the province are well-irrigated and as long as it is unhampered.
There is no problem for rice and sugarcane farmers as the milling season is coming to its close, he said.
The farmers were urged to finish their harvest for this season and make preparations for next year.
Lacson also revealed that they will be reviewing some assistance options for local farmers.
The state weather bureau, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) confirmed the beginning of the dry season in the country on March 21.
El Niño, a weather phenomenon characterized by below-normal rainfall, “will likely develop in July-August-September of this year and may persist until 2024,” Pagasa said.
Climate projections by the weather bureau said the phenomenon could last until next year./DGB, WDJ