Drought may hit 30 areas in March due to El Niño – Pagasa

File photo of a fair warm weather

MANILA, Philippines — Drought may strike thirty areas nationwide by the end of March due to El Niño phenomenon, according to an official of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa). 

During the House committee on agriculture’s hearing on Wednesday, Pagasa’s Climatology and Agrometeorology Division Officer-in-Charge Ana Liza Solis reported that 25 areas in Luzon and five in Visayas may experience drought by the end of March. 

Based on her presentation, drought is forecast in the following areas since they have experienced way below normal rainfall conditions over the past months (October 2023 to February 2024).

Drought is experienced in areas with three consecutive months of below normal rainfall condition or greater than 60 percent reduction from average rainfall.

Metro Manila is among the areas she mentioned that may have drought in Luzon, as well as Abra, Apayao, Aurora, Bataan, Benguet, Cagayan, Cavite, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Kalinga, La Union, Laguna, Mountain Province, Nueva Ecija,  Vizcaya, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Pangasinan, Quirino, Rizal and Zambales.

In the Visayas, drought may hit Antique, Guimaras, Iloilo, Leyte, and Negros Occidentaal, Solid added.

Aside from drought, she added that “dry condition,” or two consecutive months of below-average rainfall conditions, may prevail in 16 provinces and areas nationwide, while a “dry spell,” or three consecutive months below regular rainfall occurrences, is expected in 24 areas across the country. 

The areas and provinces that would likely experience “dry condition” and “dry spell” by the end of March are as follows:

Dry condition 

Luzon

• Albay
• Batanes
• Camarines Sur
• Catanduanes
• Marinduque 
• Quezon
• Romblon 
• Sorsogon

Visayas

• Aklan
• Northern Samar

Mindanao

• Agusan del Norte
• Bukidnon
• Dinagat Islands
• Lanao del Sur
• Surigao del Norte
• Surigao del Sur

Dry spell 

Luzon 

• Batangas
• Bulacan
• Camarines Norte
• Masbate
• Pampanga
• Tarlac

Visayas 

• Biliran
• Bohol
• Capiz
• Cebu
• Eastern Samar
• Negros Oriental
• Samar 
• Siquijor
• Southern Leyte

Mindanao

• Camiguin
• Lanao del Norte
• Misamis Occidental
• Misamis Oriental
• Sulu
• Tawi-Tawi
• Zamboanga del Norte
• Zamboanga del Sur
• Zamboanga Sibugay

Solis, however, explained that this forecast may change by the end of February with more areas possibly joining the original list.

According to the Department of Agriculture (DA) latest bulletin, the dry spell’s damage to the crop sector has spiked from P151.3 million to P357.4 million as of February 24. 

It added that the El Niño phenomenon affected 7,668 farmers inthe Ilocos, Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan), Western Visayas, and Zamboanga Peninsula regions.