Bohol resorts to cloud seeding to curb El Niño’s effects

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol—The Bohol Agriculture’s Office has conducted cloud seeding operations to protect the crops from damage because of the long drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon.

The cloud seeding operations started on Tuesday and would continue up to a month depending on the availability of clouds that process the salt into rainwater.

The Department of Agriculture has prepared 700 bags of dried fine salt for the cloud seeding operation.

The measure aims to cushion the impact of the dry spell and maintain agriculture productivity of local farmers, said Leon Parac, Jr, agricultural technician of the provincial agriculture’s office.

Cloud seeding is a weather modification method where chemical “nuclei” such as silver iodide or calcium chloride are introduced in the atmosphere to induce condensation, and eventually, precipitation.

Parac said that the province has been experiencing less rainfall compared to the previous months as an effect of the El Niño phenomenon even if there were typhoons in 2015.

“Minimal rainfall is observed during the onset of January 2016,” said Parac.

He also said that water levels in the major dams need replenishment to have sufficient water supply.

These are Malinao Dam in Pilar town with service area of 4,700 hectares (ha); Bayongan Dam in San Miguel town, 5,300 (ha); Capayas in Ubay town, 1,100 ha; and Zamora Dam in Talibon town, around 1,000 (ha).

Bohol has been known as the rice bowl of the Central Visayas. It has a total of 47,375 ha of rice area wherein 23,041 ha are irrigated and 24,336 ha are rain-fed.

Leonard Samar of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration in Bohol, said a weak El Niño started in in the province during the third quarter of 2015.

“Now, the province is experiencing a strong El Niño,” he said. He also suggested that farmers have to plant crops resistant to heat and have shorter period to grow. RAM

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