DRIED CORNFIELDS. The damaged cornfields in Maasin town, Iloilo due to El Niño. The towns of Maasin, Janiuay and Santa Barbara were declared under a state of calamity due to El Niño during the Holy Week. (Photo courtesy of Iloilo PDRRMO)
ILOILO CITY -- The towns of Janiuay, Santa Barbara, and Maasin in the province of Iloilo were the latest addition to the two towns already placed under state of calamity due to El Niño.
With a total loss of PHP43 million in agricultural damages due to extreme heat, Janiuay town was declared under a state of calamity on Holy Wednesday, Janiuay Mayor Jose Lam de Paula said on Monday.
De Paula said El Niño affected a total 4,800 farmers and farm laborers in the municipality.
Water shortage is also felt in almost all of the villages, he said.
De Paula said the municipality will purchase food packs to distribute to households.
“We are also going to purchase water tank for us to better distribute water to households,” he said.
Meanwhile, Santa Barbara town was declared under a state of calamity also on Wednesday.
In a phone interview on Monday, Santa Barbara Mayor Dennis Superficial said the El Niño resulted in PHP21 million worth of agricultural losses.
“The whole municipality is affected and the effect was not only felt this April but on earlier months,” he said, adding that the extreme heat damaged the second rice cropping of farmers.
Superficial said water can still be sourced from irrigation systems but this alone will not suffice as almost all deep wells in the town had dried up.
]The mitigating measures lined up for Santa Barbara town are purchase of food stocks and medicines, among others, he said.
Aside from Janiuay and Santa Barbara, Maasin town was also placed under a state of calamity on Thursday.
Maasin Mayor Mariano Malones said the town was put under a state of calamity, mainly due to water shortage.
Out of 50 villages in town, Malones said 32 already asked for water supply.
Extreme heat also left PHP4 million worth of agricultural damages in the municipality. Malones said they are on the process of listing affected farmers to be assisted by the national government.
“As for the supply of drinking water, we requested for the Metro Iloilo Water District and we are glad for their positive response,” he said. The towns of Bingawan and Lambunao were the first two towns in the province to be placed under state of calamity. (PNA)
