Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. said yesterday that the Negros Occidental provincial government is taking steps to mitigate the effects of El Niño, although the province is still experiencing some rain.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration confirmed yesterday that the country is currently experiencing a mild case of El Niño, that could prolong the dry season.

“The El Niño is associated with decrease in rainfall and higher temperature,” PAGASA climatologist Anthony Lucero said.

It is possible that since it is a weak El Niño, it may not persist for too long, and the impact may not be as significant, unless it strengthens, which could cause it to last until the end of the year, he said.

El Niño is defined as the warming of the equatorial waters in the Pacific Ocean, which occurs irregularly every two to seven years.

Marañon said the provincial government will seek the help of the Department of Agriculture for cloud-seeding operations to induce rain.

But this could only be a palliative, it will not totally address problems brought on by a drought, he said.

The provincial government will pursue its plan to buy a small airplane to be used for cloud-seeding, because the cost of chartering one will be more expensive in the long run, he said.

Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena said yesterday that his office has started implementing mitigating measures to protect the poultry and livestock of the province from a dry spell.

He said electrolyte supplements are being distributed to hog and free range chicken raisers to prevent their animals from suffering heat strokes.

Negros Occidental is the number one grower of backyard hogs and free range chickens in the country, he said.

Technical assistance is also being given to raisers of ruminants on the use of farm waste such as rice hulls and straw as feeds to address the loss of grass from intense heat, he added.

A massive vaccination campaign on farm animals is also being waged to boost their resistance, he said

The cattle supply of the province is also being upgraded through artificial insemination, he added.

Meanwhile, he reminded those raising chickens and fighting cocks to take extra precautions, especially if they have travelled to Hong Kong, South Korea and China, against immediately visiting their farms on their return, to prevent possible bird flu contamination.

They should not go near their farms for at least three days and take bath before visiting their chickens, he said.

He pointed out that Negros Occidental continues to be bird flu and foot-and-mouth disease-free.*CPG

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