5 Occidental, Oriental Mindoro towns affected by El Niño

Five towns in Oriental and Occidental Mindoro were placed under a state of calamity due to El Niño.

According to Darlene Cay's Saturday “24 Oras Weekend” report, the towns of Mansalay and Bulalacao in Oriental Mindoro were placed under a state of calamity, as well as the towns of Looc, Magsaysay, and San Jose, in Occidental Mindoro.

In Mansalay, where the primary livelihood of the residents was farming, 80% of the area was affected by drought.

There were 1,000 farmers affected, while another batch of 1,000 farmers were under verification.

Meanwhile, Bulalacao has been in a state of calamity for almost three weeks, with 4,000 locals affected, according to a municipal agriculturist.

About 2,000 hectares were damaged by drought.

However, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said these affected localities were still less than 1% of the total number of farmers who planted rice last year, so it was still unlikely that the country's general supply of rice and food would be affected.

Meanwhile, the DA provided P5,000 cash assistance and seeds to the farmers in Oriental Mindoro.

“Nakakuha kami ng dagdag kaalaman sa pagi-inspect namin sa mga sakahan. Ang NIA meron silang equipment para maghanap tayo ng ibang aquifer o balon na pedeng pagkunan ng tubig,” said Task Force El Nino Assistant Secretary Joey Villarama.

(We got more knowledge when we inspected the farms. The NIA has equipment, so we can look for other aquifers or wells to source water.)

Magat Dam

The National Irrigation Administration-Magat River Integrated Irrigation System said it would be decreasing the water supplied from Magat Dam to farms as the NIA expected the dam's water level to decline quickly due to El Niño.

The NIA also halted the irrigation from the dam on Friday as it was the end of the planting season, and this would help save water for the next season.

The government and concerned agencies were also preparing for the possible transition from El Niño to La Niña. — Sherylin Untalan/DVM, GMA Integrated News