'Aklan is ready for El Niño phenomenon'
BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

KALIBO, Aklan - Governor Carlito Marquez said the provincial government is ready to combat the effects of El Niño weather phenomenon.

Some parts of the province are still experiencing rains, however, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration has identified Aklan as one of the provinces 'moderately vulnerable' to the dry spell brought by El Niño.

Marquez said rain-fed hectare areas in the province might experienced drought conditions, prompting the National Irrigation Administration to allocate P500-million over the next five years for the construction of communal irrigations to cushion the negative impact of imminent drought.

"Aklan is prepared to handle the prolonged dry spell in moderately vulnerable threatened areas. Local farmers are urged to wait for the wet season for their third cropping for this year. For irrigated lands, intervention measures will be implemented in Western Visayas by subsidizing the distribution of seeds and assistance by Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in the form of freshwater fingerlings for the fishery sector," he said over RGMA DyRU Super Radyo.

El Niño started hitting Luzon and some parts of Mindanao and Visayas and may continue to affect the provinces towards the end of April and without government intervention, agricultural losses could reach more than P20-billion.

Marquez said his administration is committed to modernize agriculture in the province and to continue the implementation of hybrid rice and other agriculture programs for increased production.

Meanwhile, Metro Kalibo Water District general manager Engr. Renato Albar appealed to the public to conserve water to mitigate the effects of El Niño in the production of local crops and other agricultural products.