Capitol to convene for La Niña preparedness
Gov. Tupas briefs the media of the
provincial government's plan regarding
La Niña phenomenon. With him is
Provincial Administrator Manuel Mejorada.
The Iloilo provincial government through the Provincial Agriculture and Fisheries Council will convene this week to plan about contingency measures should La Niña hit the Province of Iloilo this year.
Experts from Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) will be invited to talk about the impact of the phenomenon and ways to counter or cushion its adverse effect to the people and environment.
If La Niña is inevitable, Gov. Niel D. Tupas, Sr. advice the farmers to veer away from planting crops that do not need much water such as melon, watermelon and mongo, among many others.
The province will also launch an advocacy campaign to let the people be aware and understand the La Niña phenomenon.
The governor, however, noted that according to weather experts, Iloilo would only experience soft impact of the phenomenon.
Considered potentially disastrous, La Niña is a climate phenomenon opposite to El Niño and associated with excessive rainfall and devastating floods. La Niña, also called El Viejo or matured El Niño ushers higher occurrence of cloudiness and rains over the warm waters off the Western Pacific including the Philippines.
Tupas also called for the support of other government agencies to heighten their contingency plans in case typhoons and floods especially in traditionally vulnerable agriculture-producing and flood-prone towns in the province.
(Capitol News)