By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Negros Occidental 5th District Congressman Emilio Yulo III was dismayed after the Bureau of Soil and Water Management (BSWM) of the Department of Agriculture in Western Visayas (DA-6) did not recommend cloud seeding.

Yulo said DA-6 should have closely looked at the situation of the entire province, which continues to reel from the effects of the dry spell.

Even if he doesn’t look at the data, he said he can see with his own eyes that the trees and lush greenery in the southern part of the province are dying due to lack of water.

The lawmaker reiterated the need for cloud seeding due to the ongoing heat.

He also appealed to residents to take photos of clouds, as these could indicate rain if cloud seeding operations are conducted.

Earlier, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said he received the BSWM’s “unsigned” copy of the assessment report, stating they do not recommend cloud seeding.

BSWM reasoned that conducting cloud seeding would damage around 20,000 mango trees in San Carlos City, and another 5,000 trees in neighboring Guimaras Island.

“They do not recommend it, but as I’ve said, this is not signed yet, so it’s unofficial,” Lacson said.

The ongoing drought due to the El Niño phenomenon caused P87 million in crop damage in Negros Occidental, with most damage reported to rice and corn fields./DGB, WDJ