Cloud seeding brings rains in watershed, La Paz
Heavy rainfall has been hitting various parts of the city since cloud seeding operations started two weeks ago aimed to induce rains and improve water levels at the reservoir.
Natural rains, coupled with thunderstorms, also hit the city Sunday night that further improved the situation at the Pasonanca dam.
City Agriculturist Diosdado Palacat said the 9th and 10th cloud seeding sorties conducted in the watershed area Sunday and Monday morning brought heavy downpour in the watershed area including La Paz.
On Sunday, heavy rains hit the Pasonanca watershed Nancy outpost from 1 to 1:30 p.m. bringing that yielded at least 228 millimeters of water. The cloud seeding also yielded an 18-minute slight to moderate rainfall at the intake area in Murok from 11:30 to 11:48 a.m. also Sunday.
Yesterday, Monday, the operations resulted to a 30 min rain at watershed area and barangay La Paz, according to Palacat.
The cloud seeding operations, conducted by a team from the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Soil and Water Management, per request from Mayor Celso Lobregat.
The DA has allocated a total of P2.7 million for the operations that will cover mostly Zamboanga City and some parts of Region 9.
The cloud-seeding induced rains plus the natural rainfall Sunday and Monday, according to Palacat have improved water levels at the Zamboanga City water District’s reservoir in Pasonanca as well as provided respite to the city’s farmers.
The DA cloud seeding team is expected to conduct a total of 30 sorties in the region. So far, ten sorties were conducted in Zamboanga and two in Zamboanga del Norte.
The City Disaster Coordinating Council has approved the allocation of some P2.7 million out of the city’s calamity funds for the possible extension of the cloud seeding operations in Zamboanga to help cushion the effects of the dry spell El Nino.
Palacat is confident that the cloud seeding operations will help alleviate the plight of the Zamboanguenos suffering from the brunt of the dry spell. (Sheila Covarrubias)