ILOILO – Cloud seeding operations scheduled in Negros Occidental are expected to influence weather patterns across the Western Visayas region, including Iloilo province.
The operations, aimed at alleviating the effects of the El Niño phenomenon, are driven by prevailing northeasterly winds, according to Dr. Ildefonso Toledo, head of the Provincial Agriculture Office.
The cloud seeding activities, planned to commence next week or in early June, are a collaboration between the Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 6, the Philippine Air Force, and the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM).
The Bacolod-Silay International Airport has been chosen as the operational hub due to air traffic constraints at the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan.
“The decision to base operations in Bacolod is due to logistical constraints in Iloilo. From Bacolod, the teams will be able to seed clouds effectively across the entire Western Visayas, including Iloilo,” Toledo explained.
The choice of Negros Occidental as the starting point for these operations is due to the presence of seedable clouds, a critical requirement for successful cloud seeding.
Toledo also noted that the Iloilo provincial government is preparing for the impacts of cloud seeding on agriculture, particularly concerning crops like watermelon that are vulnerable to excessive rainfall.
A meeting with Municipal Agriculture Officers (MAOs) from 43 local government units has been convened to advise farmers on mitigating potential damage.
The provincial government will incur no costs for the cloud seeding, as it is covered by the national government as part of their support for farmers affected by El Niño.
As per the latest damage report by the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) Region 6 dated May 16, the agriculture sector in the region has suffered approximately P1.49 billion in damages due to El Niño, with Iloilo experiencing the highest losses at P857 million. This has prompted the declaration of a state of calamity in both Antique and Iloilo provinces due to the significant impacts of the phenomenon.
Losses reported by the other provinces were as follows: Antique – P210,835,048; Capiz – P203,493,321; Negros Occidental – P117,485,447; Guimaras – P69,261,204; and Aklan – P36,079,929./PN
