Cebu braces for El Niño

Local

THE provincial government of Cebu has set mitigating measures to protect farmers and fisherfolk from the impact of the looming El Niño phenomenon.

The Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) has prepared 20 sets of small water irrigation equipment with 4, 000 liter capacity tanks and 100 meter hoses to help the farmers during the dry season.

Under the "Food Always in the Home " or FAITH program, PAO has also set aside assorted vegetables seeds ready to be distributed to the households to help them grow and harvest their own vegetables during drought.

Dr. Roldan Saragena, the Provincial Agriculturist, said these assorted vegetable seeds are worth P10.5 million.

The Capitol has also purchased 200 liter plastic water drums to help farmers store water and continue thier agricultural activities during low rainfall.

For the fisheries sector, the construction of over 200 payaw or fish aggregating devices is ongoing.

Gov. Pamela Baricuatro said these measures are immediate interventions, strategies and efforts to help the agricultural sectors during drought season.

The province is also pushing for the creation of an office that will serve as a central coordinating body for water management and development of water systems in the towns and cities of the province.

Baricuatro said the Cebu Provincial Inter-LGU Waterworks System Ofice (CPIWSO) will be headed by Engr. Aldrin Barade.

CPIWSO's role includes overseeing water-related concerns across the province, providing technical assistance to the municipalities and the barangays that need support in terms of improving and developing their local water system.

The office will also be the one to coordinate with the local government units (LGUs) when it comes to water system concerns and issues.

With this, Barade has encouraged the towns and barangays to coordinate with the province so that they can be provided with technical guidance as well as assistance in developing thier local water sources.(MyTVCebu)