Cloud seeding seen to alleviate El Niño effects, but it's not that easy —NDRRMC

Cloud seeding, though seen as a solution to alleviate the detrimental effects of the El Niño phenomenon affecting several parts of the country, is not as easy as it sounds, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said.

In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB on Sunday, NDRRMC spokesperson Director Edgar Posadas said several factors should be considered in cloud seeding, or the process in which substances such as salt are planted onto clouds to induce rain.

"Marami pala itong mga konsiderasyon, hindi lang 'yung maglalagay ka ng asin tapos lilipad ka ng eroplano, ibubuhos mo 'yung asin," Posadas said.

"Halimbawa, 'yung presence nung mga seedable clouds. 'Yung puwedeng pagtaniman, 'yung pag-aasin nung mga clouds. Pangalawa, 'yung availability ng eroplano," he added.

Posadas said cloud seeding operations have been scheduled from March 14 to May 21.

Funding for these operations amounting to P18.3 million would come from the budget of the Department of Agriculture.

"Ito ay galing sa pondo ng Department of Agriculture na dinownload nila doon sa kanilang regional office na posibleng nakakaranas ng tagtuyot. Ito ay isasakatuparan nila, 'yung partnership with the Philippine Air Force and local government units," he said.

The National Irrigation Administration, however, on Thursday said cloud seeding should be the last resort in addressing drought since it is expensive and dependent on too many factors for it to work.

Based on the NDRRMC's latest situation report issued on March 16, damage due to El Niño has already reached P869 million, while Regions IX, XII, MIMAROPA, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao have been declared under state of calamity.

Posadas pointed out that the mandate of the NDRRMC is to ensure that proper coordination with local government units is implemented during times of calamities.

"Meron tayong less than 10 na lokal na pamahalaan dito sa bandang Region XII, Region IX and IV-B na nagdeklara ng state of calamity," he said.

"[Pero] hindi naman ibig sabihin nito na sila ay nasalanta but ito ay making available doon sa local na pamahalaan 'yung kanilang puwedeng gamitin na mekanismo para pondohan 'yung kanilang pagresponde sa mga epekto ng El Niño lalo na doon sa apat na aspeto," he added. —Erwin Colcol/KG, GMA News