Drought expected in around 40 provinces amid El Niño peak — PAGASA

Around 40 provinces are expected to experience drought during the peak of El Niño in the country in March and April, state weather bureau PAGASA said Thursday.

In a press conference, PAGASA Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section chief Ana Solis said this was based on their forecast as of March 4.

“Dito nakikita pa rin po natin na March, April pa rin yung peak noong impact ng El Niño. Around 40 provinces iyong makakaranas po ng meteorological drought conditions,” she said.

(We can still see that March and April are still the peak of El Niño impact. Around 40 provinces will experience meteorological drought conditions.)

PAGASA defines drought as having three consecutive months of way below normal rainfall conditions with over 60% reduction from the average rainfall.

It could also be five consecutive months of below normal rainfall conditions, with a 21% to 60% reduction from the average rainfall.

Damage to agriculture worth P1,236,853,305 was reported in the country due to El Niño, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Thursday.

Western Visayas reported the highest cost of agricultural damage with P678,705,381, followed by Mimaropa with P319,755,957, Cagayan with P180,473,413, Ilocos with P54,450,077, Calabarzon with P2,750,947, and Zamboanga with P717,527.

A total of 29,409 farmers and fishermen, as well as 26,731 hectares of crops, were affected in the country due to El Niño.

Water shortages for drinking and agriculture have been reported in six barangays in Himamaylan, Negros Occidental, since December 2023, the NDRRMC said.

Due to limited water supply, Zamboanga City implemented a rationing scheme on its west coast and central areas.

A state of calamity was declared in Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro, as rivers and fields dried up and affected the water supply and crops in the town.

Assistance worth P362,564,850 has been provided to the affected individuals in Mimaropa so far, the NDRRMC said.

PAGASA declared the start of the El Niño phenomenon on July 4 last year.

The El Niño phenomenon is characterized by the abnormal warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, leading to below normal rainfall. —VBL, GMA Integrated News