By JEN BAYLON

Negros Occidental’s San Enrique town has been considered to be placed under a state of calamity due to severe agricultural damage caused by the El Niño phenomenon.

Mayor Jilson Tubillara said the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC) will be forwarding their recommendation to the Sangguniang Bayan for approval in a special session today.

The declaration will enable the local government unit to utilize its calamity funds.

Tubillara said the MDRRMC is also urging the Department of Agriculture to conduct cloud seeding.

The dry spell has caused P9.9 million worth of damage to agriculture, including crops, livestock and fisheries in the town.

Around 6,000 families from 10 barangays in the locality have been affected by the drought.

The Municipal Agriculture Office reported that the damage to rice and sugarcane fields in Barangays Bagonawa, Batuan, Guintorilan, Poblacion, and Tabao Rizal reached P7,458,547.

The damage to the fisheries sector in Barangays Baliwagan, Bagonawa, Poblacion, and Tabao Baybay, was P2,493,042.

The Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office said all village chiefs in the town are requesting livelihood assistance, while the Municipal Health Office has also reported an increase in health conditions, such as cough, hypertension, diarrhea, allergies, common cough, and colds due to the severe weather conditions.

The Bureau of Fire Protection has been conducting water rationing in Barangay Tibsoc, as shallow wells in Barangays Tabao Baybay, Batuan and Bagonawa have run dry.

State weather bureau Pagasa predicts that El Niño will continue until May or June of this year./JB, WDJ