By Perla Lena
Iloilo City – Four municipalities in Iloilo are on the verge of declaring a state of calamity due to the El Niño phenomenon, according to Cornelio Salinas, head of the Iloilo Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office. The municipalities identified are Carles, Dumangas, Barotac Nuevo, and Anilao. While Barotac Nuevo has already declared a state of calamity, Salinas mentioned that there are procedural rectifications underway. He added that the remaining three towns are still in the process of finalizing their declarations, with the possibility of moving in that direction by next week.
Provincewide, as of March 11 data, their validated report showed losses of PHP422.6 million in rice, corn, and high-value crops.
“Although our losses in crops are almost half a billion, there is a criterion. Very particular is that 30 percent of the livelihood is affected. The damage estimate is not enough to declare the state of calamity. There are other parameters,” he said.
Further, he said that river-run waters in the province are already at a critical level.
“It means we already lack water to provide enough water for farmlands,” he said.
These include the Suage River Irrigation System (RIS) dam, Sta Barbara diversion dam, Barotac Viejo RIS dam, Jalaur diversion dam, and Sibalom diversion dam. (PNA)
