The Negros Occidental provincial government is bracing for “a very hard” El Niño and insuring that irrigated rice lands have adequate water, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said Monday, January 8.
The governor said 60 percent of Negros Occident’s rice lands that are irrigated produce the bulk of the province’s rice needs.
The province is 84 percent rice sufficient, Lacson said.
We have to maximize the use of available water and avoid wastage, he said.
Water impounding areas are also being identified, he said.
He said 40 percent of Negros Occidental’s rice lands that are rain-fed produce a small portion of the province’s rice needs.
The dry spell brought on by the El Niño will cause droughts in some areas, the Department of Science and Technology has warned.*