‘Government on top of El Niño situation’

MANILA, Philippines - Malacanang yesterday assuaged fears of a shortage of water until early next year due to El Niño, saying the government is on top of the situation.

“We’re preparing for this and the public should not feel alarmed,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in Filipino. “There will be no hoarding, and no one will take advantage of the situation, which is expected to worsen as the dry spell intensifies.”

In a Cabinet meeting last month, President Aquino instructed concerned officials to prepare a “detailed road map” to address the El Niño phenomenon, which is expected to last until early 2016.

He said the government is studying other options – not just water rationing – to cushion the impact of the severe dry spell, which is expected to begin later this year. He said the drought is likely to wreak havoc on food-producing areas.

But he stressed measures are in place to ensure adequate food supply as well as stable food prices.

Coloma disclosed earlier the creation of a Food Security Council led by National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) chief Arsenio Balisacan.

The council is composed of the Departments of Agriculture, Trade and Industry and Finance, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, National Food Authority, National Irrigation Administration and the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Another group has been assigned to help address the expected water shortage. Named “water czar” was Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson.

Singson’s team is composed of representatives from the Local Water Utilities Administration, National Water Resource Board, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System and the National Irrigation Administration.

“The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council was also directed to coordinate with its local councils in preparing and implementing community-based water conservation and other mitigation programs,” Coloma said.

Cloud seeding

Meanwhile, the Air Force is ready to conduct cloud-seeding operations to mitigate the impact of El Niño phenomenon.

Air Force spokesman Col. Enrico Canaya said their LC-210 rainmaking aircraft is available for any cloud-seeding operation.

“We always make ourselves available. We have a long experience working with the Bureau of Soils (and Water Management),” Canaya said.

“With regard to cloud-seeding, we have that capability in case there is a need to do it,” he added.

“Recently, we did a mission over Pantabangan Dam and Angat Dam. We had several sorties for rain-making when the water level of the dams supplying water to Metro Manila went down,” he said.

Canaya noted that the Bureau of Soils and Water Management is also tapping private aircraft for rainmaking efforts.– Delon Porcalla and Alexis Romero