PAGASA: Cebu’s recent weather condition erratic

CEBU, Philippines — PAGASA Regional Services Division for Visayas weather specialist Romeo Aguirre said there has been an erratic behavior of the climatic conditions recently.

He said the state weather bureau is still continuously monitoring and observing the weather pattern and the country’s present atmospheric conditions and to check whether the rainy season would set in early this year.

Yesterday, PAGASA Lapu-Lapu station has identified the presence of an Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) oscillating over the Visayas and Mindanao regions.

He said the ITCZ slowly developed on Thursday because two winds in different direction, one from the east and the other from the southwest, converged.

Aguirre said the recent occurrence of an ITCZ is one of the initial indications that the seasonal winds affecting the country will start its transition.

He said the winds will shift gradually from easterlies to southwesterly or locally known as “Habagat.”

Aguirre explained that winds seasonally change its direction. During the third week of May until the second week of June, the southwest monsoon season is expected to set in.

Once the southwest monsoon fully dominates and the easterly wind is gone, he said this will mark the start of the rainy season.

The southwesterly winds, which originate from South Indian Ocean or Australian continent, bring rains along the western sections of the country.

In fact, Aguirre said Cebu province is expected to receive an average of 103.1 millimeters of rainwater this month of May.

Meanwhile, the Cebu City Agriculture Department (CAD) has distributed at least 300 drums and several hoses to the 26 upland barangays last Monday.

The 300 drums will be divided among 26 barangays while at least two pieces of 300 meters of hoses were given to the 65 associations within the 26 targeted upland barangays.

“Naa na (complaints on water shortage). Naa nay mga farmers nga niingon sila nga nihubas na o nigamay na ang water level mao ng naa tay mga gipanghatag nga drums and hoses nga makatabang og pundo sa limitado nga water resource nga naa sa bukid,” said Apple Tribunalo, head of Cebu City Agriculture Department.

Several sitios in Barangays Sudlon 1, Sudlon 2, Tagba-o, Adlaon and Tap-Tap are among the most affected areas that experienced water shortage.

Ben Lagahid Jr., who heads the Cebu City Farmers Federation and the City Agriculture and Fishery Council (CAFC), said the most affected areas will be given more drums and hoses especially in their use of water for personal consumption, crops, and livestock production.

Meanwhile, Emilio Secretaria, the former president of the farmers’ federation, suggested that CAD and the Department of Agriculture, which funded the solar water pumps and solar irrigation at Barangay Lusaran and Sudlon 2, should also put up water catchment facilities in all the upland barangays.

Secretaria said that the productivity of these solar water pumps and irrigation are proven and tested. —  Mary Kristine M. Cameros, CNU Comm Intern/GAN (FREEMAN)