Gov't to bare El Niño mitigation plan this week
Published Jul 10, 2023 11:09 am
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said that the Water Resources Management Office (WRMO) will reveal to the public the government's plan to mitigate the effects of the El Niño phenomenon.
Marcos said this following a meeting with relevant government officials on July 10 to identify measures to mitigate the impact of the looming dry spell in the country.
In his remarks, the President said the plan would be bared by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ma. Antonia "Toni" Yulo-Loyzaga to the public this week.
*File photo*
"We will have a plan for the mitigation of the effects of El Niño this week. I just spoke to the Secretary of DENR this morning, and she has told me that she will be prepared to make public what needs to be done," he said. "Presently, just to mitigate the effects of El Niño this coming – at least for this year, right now DENR, Public Works, DA (Department of Agriculture), especially NIA (National Irrigation Administration) are working together," he added. The WRMO, created under EO 22, is under the DENR. The President said former Public Works and Highways secretary Rogelio Singson would also assist the government in addressing the problem. According to the President, Singson, a water management expert, will help the government develop a contingency plan for El Niño and craft an overall plan for the Philippines. Marcos reiterated that the country must convert its water usage from groundwater or wells and aquifers to transfer extraction to surface water. "Because we have enough surface water. It's just a question of protecting it. We are designing now a system of catchment basins not only for flood control," he said. "The original plan was only for flood control. But now, we have said we have to… that flood control always now includes irrigation and sometimes even power, if we can do it," he added. Regarding water supply for agricultural use, the President said the NIA has a design for existing dams to ensure continuous supply. Meanwhile, the President said the hot and humid weather felt over the past few weeks is not yet the onset of El Niño. “People think that this is El Niño but we haven’t felt the effects of the El Niño. In some areas pero sa ngayon hindi pa talaga ‘yan,” Marcos said. "We have a plan. So we are making sure that we will be ready when that time comes," he added. The President said previously that the government was relying on a newly-created Office of Water Management to address the impact of a prolonged dry spell or El Niño.
*File photo*
"We will have a plan for the mitigation of the effects of El Niño this week. I just spoke to the Secretary of DENR this morning, and she has told me that she will be prepared to make public what needs to be done," he said. "Presently, just to mitigate the effects of El Niño this coming – at least for this year, right now DENR, Public Works, DA (Department of Agriculture), especially NIA (National Irrigation Administration) are working together," he added. The WRMO, created under EO 22, is under the DENR. The President said former Public Works and Highways secretary Rogelio Singson would also assist the government in addressing the problem. According to the President, Singson, a water management expert, will help the government develop a contingency plan for El Niño and craft an overall plan for the Philippines. Marcos reiterated that the country must convert its water usage from groundwater or wells and aquifers to transfer extraction to surface water. "Because we have enough surface water. It's just a question of protecting it. We are designing now a system of catchment basins not only for flood control," he said. "The original plan was only for flood control. But now, we have said we have to… that flood control always now includes irrigation and sometimes even power, if we can do it," he added. Regarding water supply for agricultural use, the President said the NIA has a design for existing dams to ensure continuous supply. Meanwhile, the President said the hot and humid weather felt over the past few weeks is not yet the onset of El Niño. “People think that this is El Niño but we haven’t felt the effects of the El Niño. In some areas pero sa ngayon hindi pa talaga ‘yan,” Marcos said. "We have a plan. So we are making sure that we will be ready when that time comes," he added. The President said previously that the government was relying on a newly-created Office of Water Management to address the impact of a prolonged dry spell or El Niño.