The Department of Agriculture (DA) is working on a water management plan to help reduce the impacts of the dry spell on farmers and farmlands.
Agriculture Undersecretary Deogracias Savellano said the DA is increasing the allotted budget for small water impounding projects (SWIPs) to disperse more SWIPS to the provinces, especially at the onset of El Niño.
“It’s a matter of managing our water resources. You’d think it’s a joke why we have so much water during the rainy season and almost none during the dry season. If we have SWIPs and we start practicing rain harvesting, it will be easier for us to deal with El Niño, whenever it comes,” he said.
Savellano said he has been pushing for bigger allocation to bring SWIPs to more provinces, especially, rice-growing and vegetable-producing provinces.
“We have streams, brooks and rivers where we can source water to fill SWIPs. A SWIP doesn’t cost that much, still, the budget for these projects has remained minimal over the years,” he added.
Crop production will be severely impacted if El Niño will not be managed as early as the last quarter of 2023.
The DA, Savellano said does not yet have projections of possible losses to crops. But a severe dry spell that lasts for months may bring crops output to negative in the first quarter.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is also proactively pursuing water conservation measures.
“For Metro Manila we are managing Angat water level to prepare for EL Niño during the first quarter of 2024. But for all sites, we will do a nationwide water conservation program,” he said.
Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) Climate Monitoring and Predictions Section chief Analisa Solis said Mindanao would be severely affected by El Niño with at least a 35 percent reduction in the amount of rainfall due to the lack or absence of typhoons.
The Visayas will see a 21 percent decrease in rainfall, and Luzon a 12 percent decrease.
Citing projections, Solis said the effects of El Niño would start to be felt in the Visayas and Mindanao during the third and fourth quarters of the year. However, Luzon will still experience near to above-normal rainfall, according to PAGASA’s forecast.
Solis also warned that El Niño would increase the temperatures in the country.