There are 5,283 households with 20,223 individuals affected by a potable water shortage in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.
The 11 barangays affected are Nabali-an, Mambagaton, Su-ay, Mahalang, To-oy, San Antonio, Buenavista, Cabanbanan, Libacao, Cabadiangan and Carabalan, Joefil Sombilon, Research and Planning Section Chief of the Himamaylan City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Division, said Friday, March 22.
The worst hit are Cabadiangan and Mahalang where 80 to 90-feet deep wells have dried up, Sombilon said.
The city government has been rationing water to the two badly hit barangays and has been using the water filtration unit of the provincial government to provide potable water, he added.
The dry spell has also affected 226.91 hectares of rice crops in Himamaylan causing P12,064,923 in damage, he added.
This has affected 381 farmers in 13 barangays, Sombilon said.
The city government is providing the farmers with seedlings for backyard vegetable gardening, he said.
Sombilon said they are still conducting a rapid damage assessment to determine if a state of calamity can be declared.*