Oriental Mindoro town braces for El Niño as water levels drop, crops suffer

ORIENTAL MINDORO — The municipality of Mansalay in Oriental Mindoro has convened an Integrated Resilience Forum to prepare for the anticipated impact of Super El Niño, particularly possible water shortages that could disrupt irrigation, damage crops and threaten the livelihoods of residents, many of whom depend on agriculture.

Vice Mayor Joel Maliwanag said the local government is implementing various preparedness measures in coordination with national government agencies and the provincial government.

“Alam naman natin pag wala tayong irrigation water, nagkulang o nawalan, wala tayong mag-grow na food. So importante iyan for our survival sa mga ganitong sitwasyon na meron tayong tubig at hindi lang pambahay, hindi lang panggamit sa bahay, inumin, panga-hygiene at iba pa nating gamit sa loob ng tahanan kundi pati ang tubig na kinakailangan natin sa pagtanim,” Maliwanag said.

[We know that if we lack or lose access to irrigation water, we cannot grow food. Having water is crucial for our survival in these situations, and this goes beyond just water for household use. It’s also for drinking, hygiene, and other domestic needs; it also includes the water required for growing crops.]

The Mansalay Waterworks System is monitoring water levels in local water sources every five days to detect early signs of declining supply.

Maliwanag said the municipality is already beginning to feel the effects of El Niño, with some pumping stations recording a one-foot drop in water levels.

“Medyo nararamdaman na. Ngayon lang parang we’re getting reports from several barangays na nararamdaman na,” the vice mayor added.

[It’s starting to be felt. Just now, we’re getting reports from several barangays that it’s already being felt.]

Mansalay has more than 1,000 hectares of irrigated rice fields and over 200 hectares of rain-fed farmland. Farmers also grow corn, onions and other high-value crops.

To mitigate the impact of the dry spell, the local government is encouraging farmers to shift to drought-resistant crops that require less water.

Maliwanag said the municipality has also received reports of crop damage, including reduced yields in some areas planted with ube (purple yam).

“Meron na kaming natatanggap na report… Marami nagtanim dito ng ube. May mga areas din na talagang yung walang laman, yung ube. So alam namin iyon, impact na ito ng tag-init. At inaasahan namin na mas matindi ang tag-init by December,” he said.

[We have received reports that many people here planted ube. There are also areas where the ube failed to grow. We know that this is an impact of the dry season, and we anticipate that the dry season will become even more intense by December.]

The Department of Agriculture (DA) MIMAROPA has started prepositioning resources and implementing programs to assist farmers in anticipation of El Niño’s impact.

The municipality is also coordinating with the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) and the Department of Science and Technology’s PAGASA to monitor weather patterns and water conditions.

The local government has yet to determine the exact budget for its El Niño response plan, pending an assessment of available funding and assistance from national, regional and provincial authorities.

While Mansalay is not a major rice-producing municipality, Maliwanag said its fishing-dependent communities could also be affected by rising sea temperatures, which may drive marine resources into deeper waters and make fishing more difficult.

“Siyempre apektado din ‘yan dahil pag init ng temperatura sa dagat ay magtatago sa kailaliman ang mga marine resources,” he said.

[Of course, that is also affected, because as sea temperatures rise, marine resources will retreat into the depths.]

Maliwanag warned that failure to prepare for the effects of El Niño could lead to food shortages in the municipality.

To strengthen food security, the local government is also encouraging residents to adopt pressurized canning, a food preservation method that can extend the shelf life of stored food for up to two years.

The measures were among the recommendations raised during the Mansalay Integrated Resilience Forum held on Thursday , which brought together national, regional, provincial and local government agencies to develop a more comprehensive disaster preparedness and response plan.