Water supply stable amid El Niño - task force

TASK Force El Niño said the country has enough water supply for human consumption, irrigation and power generation despite the onslaught of the droughtinducing climate phenomenon.

It added the supply of basic commodities remained stable.

”We have this steady supply of rice because of our importation and stocks in warehouses, and aside from this, the harvesting season is also about to start,” said Task Force El Niño spokesman Joey Villarama in a TV interview.

He added the Department of Agriculture had reported an equally stable supply of basic commodities, including sugar, corn, chicken, pork and onion.

”But again, the government is applying a scientific approach here because we don’t know if the damage to crop would continue any further,” Villarama said. ”We need to double our vigilance and monitoring because we don’t want to be caught off guard as, again, we are up against nature.”

The estimated damage of the El Niño phenomenon on crops, particularly rice and corn, has reached P151 million, with Regions 6 (Western Visayas) and 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula) mostly affected.

“Since this is a whole-government approach, all concerned government agencies have their respective disaster risk reduction and management offices activated down to the provincial, city and municipality, and barangay level,” Villarama said.

He added the government would ensure that farmers affected by El Niño were provided assistance like alternative sources of livelihood and cash aid.

”We have these instances wherein affected rice farmers were provided with domestic animals for their livelihood until they recover and plant rice again,” Villarama said, adding the Department of Energy would prevent power interruptions during the El Niño period.

”But again, we may reiterate that we should not be complacent; we should do our part in our own little way to conserve energy and water, among others,” Villarama said.