Farms, rural areas told to store water, protect spring water sources
Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Officer Baltazar Tribunalo said the situation is not yet alarming but we shouldn’t be complacent. (CDN PHOTO/ JUNJIE MENDOZA)
Store barrels of water and build water cisterns.
The dry spell in Cebu is forecast to drag on and intensify this year.
Weather forecaster Oscar Tabada issued this advice during the first Provincial Water -El Niño Summit yesterday at the Capitol.
He said Cebu is among 12 provinces in the country, where a drought or a dry spell is forecast to continue or intensify.
He also warned that floods could occur when the southwest monsoon rains come in July as the dry ground may be unable to easily absorb the water.
A “weak” El Niño began in March but will strengthen towards the end of this year, said Tabada, chief meterorologist of Pagasa-Visayas.
DRYING UP
Initial feedback from the Cebu countryside showed that crops were wilting and portions of farms in 33 out of 50 towns and cities.
Baltazar Tribunalo, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), reported that portions of agricultural lands were drying up crop production has been affected.
He said water sources in the towns of Madridejos, Bantayan, Sta. Fe, and Borbon in the north as well as in Dalaguete, Alegria, Alcantara, Minglanilla, Ginatilan, Samboan, Boljoon, Oslob, and the cities of Talisay and Naga in the south were drying up.
In Tabogon, Carmen, and Compostela, Tribunalo said the rivers were showing signs of drying up as well.
His office also received reports of fish kill as water levels in fresh water farms fell in Alegria, Talisay City, and Carmen.
“Although the situation isn’t alarming yet, we shouldn’t be complacent,” Tribunalo told reporters.
He said the provincial disaster council, chaired by Cebu Gov. Hilario P. Davide III, will convene next week to take up the summit findings and recommendations in more detail.
They will also discuss whether it’s necessary to declare a state of calamity in Cebu province, he said.
Tribunalo based his report on a rapid assessment conducted by teams from the provincial government.
The assessment covered three aspects– agriculture and fisheries, ecosystem and the environment, and health.
No numbers were available yet because the assessment was based only on initial feedback by affected residents.
WORKSHOP
During the workshop, participants from the second district, recommended various responses: water conservation, chlorination, maintenance and rehabilitation of watershed facilities, and full use of spring water resources.
Problems included diminishing water supply, contaminated sources, poor water system, and lack of proper solid waste management.
They cited indiscriminate cutting of trees, the slash-and-burn (kaingin) farming and unmanaged dump sites.
The second district is the biggest in Cebu with a population of more than 200,000 as of 2010.
The workshops were attended by mayors, disaster risk reduction officers, and agricultural officers.
LOCAL ASSESSMENT
Tribunal said a deeper assessment should be done at the local level.
“It’s hard if the (state of calamity) declaration comes from the province. We got data from the barangays and towns that didn’t really reflect the whole situation of the province but there were some who affirmed that corps were wilting and water was scarce,” he said.
Tribunalo encouraged local governments to help each other cope with the dry spell.
He said each LGU should analyze their needs and inventory their water resources, including what trucks they have to deliver water in case other towns or barangays need it.