By CESAR JOLITO III

The Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) is set to conduct cloudseeding operations in Negros Occidental and other parts of Western Visayas in the first week of July, as the government moves to mitigate the effects of extreme heat and moisture stress on agriculture.

Engineer Jose Albert Barrogo, director of the Department of Agriculture in the Negros Island Region, said the cloudseeding project has already been bid out, with procurement and awarding processes for aircraft rental now being finalized.

The initiative has an allocated budget of P6 million.

According to Barrogo, the cloudseeding team will be based in Bacolod City and will conduct flight operations depending on the presence of suitable cloud formations over Panay Island or Negros.

“Our main purpose is the watersheds — we want to bring rain there, so water in our irrigation facilities can rise,” Barrogo said, noting that operations will be activated whenever atmospheric conditions are favorable.

He added that the primary goal of the intervention is to induce rainfall over watershed areas to help replenish water levels in irrigation systems, which have been affected by prolonged dry spells.

Agricultural authorities are still awaiting a consolidated assessment on the extent of moisture stress across crops in the region.

As of the May 22 monitoring report, Negros Occidental has already recorded around P16 million in agricultural losses attributed to moisture stress.

The planned intervention comes as farmers continue to grapple with the impacts of rising temperatures, with officials looking to weather modification as a short-term measure to support water supply for irrigation and crop survival in key farming areas./CJ, WDJ