NDRRMC braces for drought, forms El Niño team
Published Apr 25, 2023 04:48 am
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has created a multi-agency team that will prepare for and address the impacts of El Niño in the country until next year.
(Photo courtesy of NDRRMC)
Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno, executive director of NDRRMC, led an inter-agency meeting at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Monday, April 24, as he emphasized the need for the harmonization of interventions of concerned government agencies for the climate phenomenon.
“We need to prepare for the possible worst case scenario and identify and harmonize short term solutions, medium term, and long term solutions," said Nepomuceno, who is also the Administrator of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).
El Niño is a phenomenon which increases the likelihood of below-normal rainfall conditions which could bring negative impacts such as dry spells and droughts.
According to Nepomuceno, the proposed El Niño team will be led by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Meanwhile, its members will be composed of the OCD, Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), National Irrigation Administration (NIA), and Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).
(NDRRMC Executive Director Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno / Photo courtesy of NDRRMC)
A support team will also be established comprising the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), National Water Resources Board (NWRB), and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
“This team will address the impacts of El Niño in our food security so that means it will monitor our food production so we won’t have shortage. Its impacts should be minimal to the public,” NDRRMC Spokesperson Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said in a radio interview with dzMM on Tuesday, April 25.
“We will also be looking at our water security because we often have reduced supply of water during El Niño. This also affects our energy security since we are likely to have a reduced supply of energy,” he continued.
“Of course, our health team is also on alert because there are many diseases that might spread due to El Niño. We also have to consider public safety because the threat of fire is there due to intense heat as well as forest fire,” he added.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) reported during the interagency meeting that the El Niño phenomenon can be felt as early as June to August 2023 with chances of increasing severity towards the first quarter of 2024.
Based on its El Niño forecast, Pagasa said that various areas may start experiencing below normal rainfall conditions including Abra, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Metro Manila, Apayao, Mountain Province, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Spratly Islands, Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Ecija, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Laguna, Rizal, Quezon, Spratly Islands, Albay, and Guimaras.
Meanwhile, the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Bataan and Cavite are already experiencing way below normal rainfall conditions.
The creation of the El Niño team was decided after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met with officials of various government agencies last April 18 to direct necessary preparations through a whole-of-government and whole-of-nation approach in addressing the drought.
Marcos, during the meeting, also called for strengthening the public campaigns on water and energy conservation.
(Photo courtesy of NDRRMC)
Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno, executive director of NDRRMC, led an inter-agency meeting at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Monday, April 24, as he emphasized the need for the harmonization of interventions of concerned government agencies for the climate phenomenon.
“We need to prepare for the possible worst case scenario and identify and harmonize short term solutions, medium term, and long term solutions," said Nepomuceno, who is also the Administrator of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).
El Niño is a phenomenon which increases the likelihood of below-normal rainfall conditions which could bring negative impacts such as dry spells and droughts.
According to Nepomuceno, the proposed El Niño team will be led by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Meanwhile, its members will be composed of the OCD, Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), National Irrigation Administration (NIA), and Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).
(NDRRMC Executive Director Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno / Photo courtesy of NDRRMC)
A support team will also be established comprising the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), National Water Resources Board (NWRB), and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
“This team will address the impacts of El Niño in our food security so that means it will monitor our food production so we won’t have shortage. Its impacts should be minimal to the public,” NDRRMC Spokesperson Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said in a radio interview with dzMM on Tuesday, April 25.
“We will also be looking at our water security because we often have reduced supply of water during El Niño. This also affects our energy security since we are likely to have a reduced supply of energy,” he continued.
“Of course, our health team is also on alert because there are many diseases that might spread due to El Niño. We also have to consider public safety because the threat of fire is there due to intense heat as well as forest fire,” he added.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) reported during the interagency meeting that the El Niño phenomenon can be felt as early as June to August 2023 with chances of increasing severity towards the first quarter of 2024.
Based on its El Niño forecast, Pagasa said that various areas may start experiencing below normal rainfall conditions including Abra, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Metro Manila, Apayao, Mountain Province, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Spratly Islands, Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Ecija, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Laguna, Rizal, Quezon, Spratly Islands, Albay, and Guimaras.
Meanwhile, the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Bataan and Cavite are already experiencing way below normal rainfall conditions.
The creation of the El Niño team was decided after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met with officials of various government agencies last April 18 to direct necessary preparations through a whole-of-government and whole-of-nation approach in addressing the drought.
Marcos, during the meeting, also called for strengthening the public campaigns on water and energy conservation.