Bulacan prepares actions to mitigate the effects of El Nino

CITY OF MALOLOS – The Provincial Government of Bulacan (PGB) through the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) has geared preparatory activities to alleviate the effects of the El Niño weather phenomenon that is expected to drastically damage the province’s agricultural production.

Gov. Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado has been coordinating with the local government units in the province for the possible creation of Provincial and Municipal El Niño Task Force that will conduct communication campaigns and monitoring to track the effects of El Niño on their local weather.

Alvarado also called on the concerned government agencies to conduct their cloud seeding operations in Angat dam that can induce rains within the dam’s watershed areas to prevent the decrease of its water level reservoir.

He also stressed the importance of water conservation and even encouraged the public to reduce water and electricity consumption as these two commodities would be the first to be affected by the prolonged drought caused by the weather occurrence.

Meanwhile, Provincial Agriculture Officer Ma. Gloria Carrillo advised Bulakenyo farmers to plant early-maturing rice and drought-tolerant rice varieties to conserve water and be innovative enough to create irrigation pumps and water reservoirs to support their yields.

Carrillo also urged them to follow the cropping calendar and water delivery schedule of the National Irrigation Administration.

Moreover, the governor also vowed to help the Bulakenyo farmers in dealing with the impact of drought through giving of livelihood seminars and starter kits to the affected families.

“Sa wastong kaalaman, ibayong paghahanda at sama-samang pagkilos ay ating mahaharap at maiiwasan ang epektong dulot ng El Niño sa kabuhayan ng ating mga kalalawigan,” the governor added.

El Niño is a weather phenomenon caused when warm water from the western Pacific Ocean flows eastward causing extensive drought and reduced rainfall.