Rainy season's here - PAGASA

The rainy season officially started last Friday after the weather bureau detected typhoon "Asyang," the first tropical cyclone to enter the country this year.

Aida Jose, weather services chief of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), said the appearance of small vortices in the South China Sea has brought substantial and widespread rains over western Luzon during the past few days.

Southwesterly winds will prevail in most parts of the country, particularly along the western sections of Luzon and the Visayas for the next several months, Jose added.

"During this period, maximum rainfall amounts are expected over the western parts of the country brought by the interaction of other weather systems such as the low pressure area, passage of tropical cyclone and intertropical convergence zone with southwest flow," she said.

Health Secretary Alfredo Romualdez Jr. also warned the public to be on alert for any possible upsurge of cholera and other similar diseases during the rainy season.

He also cautioned against drinking contaminated water, which could lead to potentially fatal diseases like acute gastroenteritis, typhoid fever, cholera, Hepatitis A and diarrhea.

Floodings could contaminate the different sources of water, particularly deep wells, he added.

Romualdez said water-borne diseases can be prevented by boiling drinking water for three to four minutes and washing the hands before preparing food and after using the toilet.

He also warned that wading through floodwater can infect a person with bacteria-causing leptospirosis, which is derived from the urine of diseased animals.

One should use rubber boots if wading in floodwater cannot be avoided, he added.

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Antonio Cerilles has identified at least 40 watersheds in 27 provinces as in danger of being flooded by excessive rain.

He said these areas are located near tributary systems feeding seven major river basins. These are the Cagayan River Basin, Agno River Basin, Pampanga River Basin, Bicol River Basin, Ilog-Hilabangan River Basin, Agusan River Basin, and the Cotabato River Basin.

Cerilles has ordered the agency's regional public affairs officers to distribute "Flood-Susceptibility Maps of the Philippines" to people living in the affected areas.

He said environment field officers will closely monitor these areas and alert residents about flashfloods and landslides that might occur during a heavy downpour.

Cerilles said the DENR has drawn up a plan to clear waterways of obstructions and that escape routes to higher ground and to evacuation centers have been marked.

Life vests have also been procured and slopes prone to landslides have also been identified to allow the immediate evacuation of residents during an emergency, he added.

Cerilles said rivers are in danger of massive siltation because some of them run through provinces which have been highly eroded, and which cover at least 8.5 million hectares or 28 percent of the country's total land area.

He identified some of the highly eroded provinces as Batangas, Cebu, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Batanes, Bohol, Masbate, Abra, Iloilo and Cavite.

"In such provinces, rivers may become turbid after heavy rain," he said. "Turbidity means poor water quality. When the water is turbid, floating particles absorb heat from the sun and raise the water temperature. This lowers the oxygen levels in the water, limiting the ability of fish and insects to survive there."

Cerilles said the incidence of fish kills is expected to increase during the rainy season and that an algae bloom will result from the presence of more nutrients in the water.

The algae compete with marine animals for oxygen, causing the animals to die, he added.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has monitored the presence of red tide in Manila Bay, where the organism's density in the water is still within tolerable levels as of May 5.

However, BFAR scientists expect the level of red tide toxin in Manila Bay to increase in the coming days.

The agency has already enforced a shellfish ban in Balite Bay, Davao Oriental; Masinloc in Zambales; Mandaon in Masbate; and Dumanguilas, Sibuguey, and Ilana bays in Zamboanga del Sur.

As of yesterday, the interagency committee on environmental health was meeting for an update on the latest incidence of the red tide in various parts of the country. -