Village asks City for water

                                                     (Sun.Star Cebu File Photo) | By Razel V. Cuizon

CEBU -- The production and supply of crops and livestock in Cebu City’s mountain barangays remain normal, but some villages are asking for the City Government’s help in supplying water for their farmers.

Babag Barangay Captain Cesar Dolorito said they need to deliver water to their far-flung sitios because most of the time, the supply does not reach these areas.

“We have available water sources in our barangay but because of the distance, the supply will no longer reach some areas,” he said

The government’s weather bureau expects the El Niño phenomenon to reach its peak in Central Visayas this month.

“Right now, we are experiencing a weak or mild El Niño. We already released an advisory on this since the last quarter of 2014 to allow our local government units to prepare,” said Engr. Oscar Tabada of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pag-asa) in Mactan.

“Reports have reached our office that the soil in some parts of southern Cebu has started to crack because of the heat.

That’s the usual effect of El Niño,” Tabada said.

So far, rainfall in Cebu and 13 other areas in the country this month has been “near to above normal,” the Pag-asa said in an El Niño advisory released last Friday. The other provinces are Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, Quezon, Marinduque, Romblon, Catanduanes, Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaraz, Iloilo and Davao del Sur.

However, the provinces of Abra, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Apayao and Ilocos Norte have experienced five straight months of drier than normal conditions, the weather bureau added.
“Since the last quarter of 2014, warm ocean conditions persisted, which shows that El Niño is in progress,” Pagasa said in its advisory. It said it expects the phenomenon to last until the middle of the year and has advised officials to prepare for its adverse effects, including below normal rainfall and hotter temperatures.

A water truck, Dolorito said in a separate interview, would help the barangay distribute water for both household purposes and for the farms. Barangay Babag, which has 12 sitios, is one of the production sites of the cut flower industry.

“So far, we don’t have any water truck, that is why we are hoping to get one through the assistance of the City Government,” Dolorito said.

If Barangay Babag will get its share of the City’s aid to the barangays program this year, Dolorito said, they will allocate a portion to buy a water truck.

For now, he is hoping that other barangays with water trucks or the City would allow them to borrow trucks so they can distribute water to the farms.

The Cebu City Government’s preparations for the dry season are in place.
Councilor Dave Tumulak said the City has started distributing hoses and drums to some mountain barangays.

For now, said Joelito Baclayon of the City Agriculture Office, the production and supply of crops and livestock from the mountain barangays remain normal.

“So far, we did not encounter any problem with the dry season because we have prepared for it,” he said.

Aside from the hoses and drums, City has also distributed to the farmers some fertilizers and seedlings that thrive during the hot, dry season.

“Compared to a cold spell, a dry spell is more tolerable, which is why we did not encounter major problems but still, I have instructed my personnel to monitor all the mountain barangays,” Baclayon added.