DOST-Capiz clarifies El Niño report
ROXAS CITY — The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in Capiz clarified the PAGASA forecast placing the province of Capiz under El Niño condition.
In a press release furnished to TNT Capiz, DOST said that as per rainfall record of PAGASA, there was below normal rainfall from August to December of 2009. Based on historical data, this would manifest a drought condition or there is a recurrence of El Niño. However, farmers from different municipalities claimed that the rainy periods they experienced during those months were enough to water their crops and no such drought existed during those periods.
According to the Provincial Science and Technology Director of DOST-Capiz, Mr. Gerbe B. Dellava, “there is only one synoptic station (PAGASA weather monitoring station) in Capiz that records rainfall data and this station is located in the airport, Arnaldo Blvd, Roxas City. He added that due to this limitation, rainfall from municipalities far from Roxas City were not “factored-in”. Example, it might be raining in Sigma but Ivisan, Panay and Roxas City are experiencing drought . If this is the case and the forecast is to be made on a provincial scale, the condition in Ivisan, Panay and Roxas City may be reported as that of Capiz and this may not mean the entire province of Capiz.
According to Mr. Dellava, in line with the DOST’s extreme weather condition monitoring program, they are now in the process of establishing additional rainfall monitoring system in strategic locations in the province. Dr. Editha L. Magallanes, president of CapSU, willingly accommodated the initial one unit of rain gauge to be installed at CapSU-Sigma Campus this month.
He also recommends that every municipality should have at last one “Agromet” station, a rainfall monitoring system that may aid the farmers in agricultural production planning. He offers to train monitors operate it and establish its recording system. For a rainfed farm, historical rainfall data is very critical in their decision when and what to plant on a certain period.
Earlier, Provincial Agriculturist Sylvia de la Cruz said that the El Ñiño phenomenon is not yet felt in Capiz and instead the climate is still rainy which is favorable to the farmers who planted their 3rd cropping.
