W. Visayas to Suffer 7-month Drought Due to El Niño — PAGASA

Western Visayas (Region 6) will get 60 percent less rain from October 2015 to April 2016 because of El Niño said Oscar Tabada, officer-in-charge of the Visayas Regional Service Division of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

Tabada shared the forecast during a meeting-workshop conducted last week by the Iloilo Provincial Task Force on El Niño. The workshop identified various programs to address the effect of the phenomenon on agriculture, potable water sources, and fisheries.

Tabada also urged local governments in the region to declare a state of calamity once they start to feel the effects of the drought.

Rosario Cabrera, chairperson of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC-6), said an area could be declared under state of calamity if two or more guidelines set by the council occur. He added that the conditions include extent of population affected, loss of livelihood, damage on infrastructure and agriculture and effect on farmers.

Last Friday, the RDRRMC-6 also identified measures to mitigate the effects of the drought.