• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
As the declaration of state of calamity is being studied, the municipal government of Cauayan in Negros Occidental is distributing food and financial assistance to 127 farmers, whose ricefields were hit by the dry spell brought about by El Niño weather phenomenon.
Mayor John Rey Tabujara said yesterday that 14 of their 25 barangays have been affected and they are looking into the possibility of declaring a state of calamity.
Some 126 hectares of rice and sugarcane fields have already been hit by the dry spell.
Acting Provincial Agriculturist Dina Genzola said yesterday that they are validating reports of additional affected areas in Cauayan and Kabankalan City.
On the plans of conducting cloud seeding operations, Genzola said it is being assessed by various government agencies, if there is a necessity for it.
In the past two days, Tabujara said that Cauayan has been blessed with continuing rains, which was a great help to crops affected by the dry spell.
He said that he cannot yet give the exact amount of assistance, but he assured the farmers that there is a budget for it.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Irrigators Association Central Negros-Bago River Irrigation System has implemented a distribution schedule in areas that it covers to ensure that all rice farmers can benefit from the water system amid the threat of El Niño, its president Pedro Limpangog said yesterday.
Having the irrigation system, areas covered by NIA-BRIS are not affected by the dry spell unlike those in the southern part of the province, he said.
Limpangog added that they are also coordinating with barangay officials to monitor the irrigation canals to ensure that these are clear of garbage.
“We are coordinating with the barangay officials to help in the clean up so that even those at the tail-end of the irrigation system can receive water for their farms,” he said.
The BRIS, which covers 11,000 hectares, serves farmlands in the cities of Bacolod, Bago and La Carlota, and the municipalities of Murcia, Pulupandan, San Enrique, Pontevedra, and Valladolid. | GB
