By Perla Lena
Once again, Iloilo City faces a state of calamity due to water scarcity caused by the El Niño phenomenon. This marks the second declaration in nearly a month. The initial state of calamity, declared on March 26 due to a pertussis outbreak, preceded this decision. Following the recommendation of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) and Mayor Jerry Treñas, the City Council approved the declaration during a special session on Monday.
The declaration of a state of calamity will allow the city government to use the over PHP12.5 million fund from the quick response fund to buy and distribute water for three months to affected households.
“The current condition in the barangays requires an urgent need to declare a state of calamity so that the city government can provide immediate assistance through the use of PHP12,544,200 for the procurement and delivery of water to all affected barangays,” Treñas in his endorsement letter to the council.
The CDRRMC said 23,230 persons or 23.33 percent of their projected population in 25 villages based on the 2020 Census of Population and Housing are affected.
The number surpassed the 15 percent affected population in the criteria set by the national DRRMC to declare the state of calamity.
These 25 barangays are prioritized in the assessment since they are considered high and medium risk of drought.
“If we would be taking into account all the other barangays in the city, the total affected population will even double or triple,” Darwin Papa, CDRRM office operation officer, said in an interview. (PNA)
