DA grants Celso’s request for cloud seeding in Zambo
Mayor Celso Lobregat Monday confers with members of the cloud seeding team that Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap sent to Zamboanga per request of the chief executive to help mitigate the effects of the dry spell. Joining the courtesy call are City Agriculturist Diosdado Palacat and DA's Poch Bucoy. (JOEY BAUTISTA)
The Department of Agriculture has approved Mayor Celso Lobregat’s request for the conduct of cloud seeding activities in Zamboanga and other parts of the region to help boost rainfall and alleviate the plight of local farmers affected by the El Niño phenomenon.
A team from the DA’s Bureau of Soil and Water Management (BSWM) led by the Teddy Bersabe together with City Agriculturist Diosdado Palacat paid a courtesy visit on Mayor Lobregat at City Hall yesterday afternoon to talk about the cloud seeding activities set to start Thursday, March 4.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, based on Lobregat’s request, has allocated some P3 million for the conduct of about 70 flying sorties to help induce artificial rain in areas hardest hit by the drought.
As this developed, Mayor Lobregat is set to convene today a meeting with the cloud seeding team and officials and representatives from various agencies such as the Zamboanga City Water District, National Irrigation Administration, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA), Department of Agriculture, Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative and other concerned stakeholders to discuss about other details concerning cloud seeding.
Cloud seeding is a form of weather modification whereby salt crystals are released into a cloud with the use of airplanes or helicopters. The particles (salt crystalsz) grow until they are large enough to cause precipitation to form.
Aside from boosting rainfall, cloud seeding methods are also expected to help raise the levels of water reservoirs.
Mayor Lobregat emphasized that cloud seeding is only one of the mitigating measures that the city government is undertaking to help cushion the effects of the dry spell.
The cloud seeding team will be based in Zamboanga to undertake a month long cloud seeding activities. However, this can be extended for a longer period depending on resources.
City Agriculturist Diosdado Palacat reported the destruction of 38 hectares of farm fields planted with rice, vegetables and bananas with an estimated damage of P400,000. At least 35 hectares of fishponds in Licomo are also affected.
Palacat said his office has started implementing mitigating measures even before the dry spell hit the city through the conduct of advocacies on how people could mitigate the impact of El Niño.
These include planting of early maturing varieties of crops, quick turn around planting and the planting of vegetables in areas were water is no longer sufficient. To prevent fish kill, Palacat’s office has also introduced numerous methods such as increasing the level of water, paddle wind and other measures to increase the level of oxygen in water.
Zamboanga City last experienced rainfall last January 5 and February 15 but the amount of water produced was not sufficient enough to last for a long time. According to Palacat, the dry spell is expected to last until the end of April.
“This dry spell is experienced in the entire country not only in Zambonanga City,” he added. (Sheila Covarrubias)