Reassuring that the government is prepared for El Niño, a warming of the ocean surface, or above-average sea surface temperatures, in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
National Economic and Development Authority Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said with preparations and mitigation measures in place, the country is expected to be up to the challenge of the weather phenomenon.
In 1982-1983, El Niño-related droughts affected 450,000 hectares of farmland in the Philippines and the most severe El Niño occurred in 1997-1998, when rainfall fell to half of historical levels, causing drought in two-thirds of this basically agricultural economy..
As early as March this year, climate monitoring and analyses by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA suggested the unusual warming of sea surface temperatures along the equatorial Pacific.
On twinkle toes, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered government agencies to prepare for the possible impact of El Niño, ensure “protocol-based and scientific” long-term solutions, and come up with a campaign to generate public awareness of water and energy conservation.
According to Undersecretary Edillon, “We always have El Niño. Three years in, three years out,…Its impact really depends on how well we prepare for it. The people already know how to deal with it with help from government agencies.”
For one, the Department of Agriculture is mapping out the areas that could be negatively affected by the dry spell while the Department of Social Welfare and Development said it has stockpiled food and non-food items, ready to be augmented by local government units.
Edillon added some areas in Luzon are already experiencing dry spell, and 36 more provinces across the country are expected to be hit by dry spell by December.
Moderate El Niño is seen by the end of 2023 and there is an 86 percent probability that El Niño will become moderate between November 2023 and January 2024.
PAGASA climate monitoring chief Ana Liza Solis told a public briefing those with health condition should take precaution against high temperatures and advised the public to conserve water and check for water leaks, as well as to save energy.
She added if the El Niño prolongs, “there is a possibility that it [2024] could be one of the highest (hottest) year on record.”
Currently, weak El Niño persists, and this could possibly result in dry spell or drought in the next two months.
Officials have noted that reduction in rainfall is likely, and, if this prolongs, high temperature will prevail, especially towards next year.