Cebu City to Release P10-M to Address Drought

The city government is set to release PHP10 million to initially address the water supply problem in mountain villages that are now experiencing the effects of mild El Niño.

City Agriculture Department (CAD) officer-in-charge Apple Tribunalo, in an interview Monday, said they are now preparing the release of the PHP10 million after receiving reports that some farmlands in the mountain barangays have already cracked due to the dry spell.

Tribunalo said they have also received reports that some of the water springs in elevated areas have dried up.

“We have already sent a team to the upland barangays to assess the situation and we will continuously monitor these areas,” Tribunalo told the Philippine News Agency.

She said the PHP10-million budget will be used for the purchase of water containers and drums for storage, power sprayers, water pumps, and water hoses for irrigation to help the affected farmers and livestock raisers in the mountain barangays.

If the hot temperature continues and no rain will occur in the coming days, Tribunalo said they will wait for the assessment of the weather bureau before a state of calamity can be declared.

Should the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) classify the mountain barangays as drought-affected, Tribunalo said they will then put these areas under state of calamity.

The PAGASA classifies an area as drought-affected if the average rainfall is less than 60 percent for three consecutive months.

“In the event a state of calamity will be declared in the mountain barangays, an additional PHP15 million will be released from the city’s disaster funds for the affected villages,” Tribunalo said.

She said she hopes the dry condition in the upland villages would not worsen and damage the vegetables and crops in the coming days.

Tribunalo is also hoping that the farmers and livestock raisers in these areas would implement the water- and moisture-conservation techniques that the CAD had taught them to apply during the dry season.

The 29 upland barangays expected to be affected by the mild El Niño are Adlaon, Babag, Cambinocot, Guba, Kalunasan, Lusaran, Malubog, Pit-Os, Sapangdaku, Tabunan, Agsungot, Bacayan, Binaliw, Bonbon, Budlaan, Buhisan, Busay, Pulangbato, Pung-ol Sibugay, Sinsin, Sirao, Sudlon I, Sudlon II, Tagbao, Taptap, Mabini, Pamutan, Paril, and Toong. (PNA)