El Niño team developing water conservation programs, says PCO

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Wednesday that the "National El Niño Team" is already developing water conservation programs that aim to mitigate the effects of the looming dry spell in the country.

“Water conservation programs [will] be developed and implemented in national government offices,” the team said in a statement. 

In April, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. called for the creation of a team that would focus on mitigating the effects of the El Niño phenomenon.

The El Niño phenomenon is characterized by the abnormal warming of sea surface temperature in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and below normal rainfall.

State weather bureau PAGASA said the phenomenon is expected to start in June of this year. The weather bureau said the climate pattern in the country would remain neutral from March to June but expects El Niño to begin thereafter.

According to the team, the water conservation programs will be formulated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The agency is also directed to identify “geographically challenged” areas which will require augmentation of the supply of potable water. 

The DENR and the Department of Agriculture (DA) are also ordered to work on the foreseen reduction in water allocation for the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) because of the possible decrease of water level in the Angat Dam.

The team said the DA would be tasked to prepare a comprehensive report on mitigation measures and interventions and to coordinate with the Philippine Rice Research Institute to gather data on drought-resistant varieties, among others.

Meanwhile, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) was already added as a new member agency of the team’s technical working group. — BM, GMA Integrated News