BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson supports the request for cloud seeding in Negros Occidental amid the ongoing dry spell.
Cloud seeding is the process of artificially generating rain by implanting clouds with particles such as silver iodide crystals.
Fifth District’s Cong. Emilio Dino Yulo III on Sunday, April 16, requested the Department of Agriculture, Sugar Regulatory Administration and provincial government to conduct cloud seeding.
He pointed out that the sugar industry is currently in the middle of cultivation and planting, and the prevailing dry season may have adverse effects on the province’s agriculture.
Cloud seeding is usually carried out by sprinkling particles from a plane. Using weather forecasting techniques, suitable clouds are identified based on the location of the target area and the prevailing winds.
Given the appropriate conditions, cloud seeding can modify clouds and induce rain. This works in two ways: by producing rain when none would fall naturally; or by increasing the amount of rain that falls over a particular area.
Lacson said cloud seeding is one of the options to alleviate the dry condition, pointing out there is still cloud cover and some areas are even experiencing rainfall.
When asked if he received any report from the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) regarding crop damages caused by the dry spell, Lacson replied it is possible that some areas in the province may already have crop damages. He is presently looking into the matter.
It is also possible that the province’s agricultural production may slightly fall due to the dry spell. The governor said switching to drought resistant plants such as root crops could alleviate the problem.
Lacson also wants all irrigation canals in the province to be fixed to prevent wasting water supplies.
Earlier, OPA head Dr. Edmundo Causing said they are closely monitoring the water supplies that would be used for irrigation of agricultural fields.
He said they are especially monitoring the supply of water being provided for rice fields and to find out if the supply would become an issue.
Based on OPA’s latest monitoring, they have yet to monitor any damages to crops brought by the dry season.
Causing said OPA’s Agricultural Engineering Division is still coordinating with local government units to know their situation with regards to their crops, particularly rice.
On March 21, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) confirmed the beginning of the dry season.
Pagasa also said El Niño, a weather phenomenon characterized by below-normal rainfall, could persist until 2024.
Based on the state weather bureau’s climate projections, the phenomenon could begin by the third quarter of 2023 and could last until next year./PN
