Gov’t unprepared for El Niño, think-tank claims

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MANILA, Philippines—The government is unprepared for the expected harsh effects of the El Nino weather phenomenon once it hits the country this year, an independent research think-tank said in a statement Tuesday.

“Malacañang has yet to issue a comprehensive and coordinated plan to address the looming El Niño, except to ask the public to conserve water,” IBON Foundation said.

“The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) is also promoting water conservation tips instead of designing a clear contingency plan to ensure supply of potable water,” it said.

El Niño is a temporary weather phenomenon caused by warmer than normal ocean temperatures in the Pacific ocean which is expected to cause less rainfall and the development of stronger storms in the Philippines.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) issued an update last April 15, 2014 saying that the El Niño will likely occur by midyear.

“Model forecasts indicate a fairly large potential for an El Niño, most likely by the end of the second quarter of 2014. For the June to August period, approximately two-thirds of the models surveyed predict that El Niño thresholds will be reached,” it said.

WMO also said that some signs of warming ocean temperatures in the Pacific have already been seen.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) previously announced that P823 million worth of crops have been lost due to the dry spell brought by early effects of the El Niño.

“We are calling on rice farmers to use water-saving technologies such as controlled irrigation. We also urge them to implement crop-shifting and closely monitor the incidence of pests and diseases,” Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala previously said.

IBON Foundation said that the most vulnerable to the effects of El Niño are the small and poor farmers who are already experiencing hardship even when there is ample water supply.

“Because of privatization and lack of genuine agrarian reform, they suffer from perennial water ‘crisis’ for use in their livelihood,” IBON said.

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