MANILA, Philippines – Drier than normal weather will prevail until the second quarter of the year, the state weather bureau said yesterday.
About 68 provinces are likely to be hit by drought by the end of April, said Anthony Lucero, officer-in-charge of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA)’s climate impacts monitoring and prediction section.
Lucero said only two to six tropical cyclones are likely to enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) in the first half of the year.
“No cyclones will enter the PAR in January and February,” he said, citing the country’s experience in 1972, 1982, 1997 and 2009.
Lucero said a strong El Niño is expected to last until July.
PAGASA appealed to the public anew to conserve water, saying the prolonged dry spell could bring down the water level in the country’s major dams.
“While dams have been filled up by rains from the recent cyclones... we shouldn’t be complacent,” PAGASA acting administrator Vicente Malano told a press conference.
Water rationing
In Zamboanga City, a 12-hour water rationing will be implemented to cushion the effect of El Niño, Leonardo Rey Vasquez, Zamboanga City Water District general manager, said.
Vasquez said they would recommend the declaration of a state of calamity to allow concerned officials to implement mitigating measures.
Maribel Enriquez, PAGASA chief meteorologist, said Western Mindanao would experience a strong El Niño during the first quarter of the year.
Angat Dam
Meanwhile, the National Power Corp. (Napocor) stopped releasing water from Angat Dam yesterday upon the advice of the National Water Resources Board’s technical working group.
In a statement, Napocor also cited the advisory of PAGASA that possible light to moderate rains over the Angat Dam watershed in the next three days will have no significant effect on the dam’s water elevation.
Napocor released a minimal amount of water on Tuesday morning in anticipation of the monsoon rains.
Angat’s water level after the spilling operation as of 9 a.m. yesterday was 214.31 meters. The dam’s spilling level is 212 meters. – With Danessa Rivera, Roel Pareño