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Gov't to release El Niño mitigation plan 'this week': Marcos

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Photo shows the Angat Dam as water level nears its minimum operating level of 180 meters above sea level (masl) on July 6, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/07/08/20230706-angat-dam-180masl-mt1.jpg"/><figcaption>Photo shows the Angat Dam as water level nears its minimum operating level of 180 meters above sea level (masl) on July 6, 2023. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — The Marcos administration will release its El Niño mitigation plan &quot;this week,&quot; which will include measures to address a looming water crisis, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has said. </p><p>Press Secretary Cheloy Garafil said the Water Resources Management Office, under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, was tasked to lead the crafting of the contingency and mitigation plan. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/08/23/neda-sees-minimal-impact-of-el-nino-this-2023">NEDA sees minimal impact of El Nino this 2023</a></li></ul><p>Former Public Works and Highways chief Rogelio Singson will help government &quot;in crafting an overall plan for the Philippines,&quot; Garafil added. </p><p>“We will have a plan for the mitigation of the effects of El Niño this week. I just spoke to the Secretary of DENR this morning and she has told me that she will be prepared to make public what needs to be done,” Marcos said during a meeting in Malacañang. </p><p>Among the measures that government wants to implement is converting water usage from ground water or wells and aquifers to transferring extraction to surface water, the Palace statement read. </p><p>“Because we have enough surface water. It’s just a question of protecting it. We are designing now a system of catchment basins not only for flood control,&quot; said Marcos. </p><p>&quot;The original plan was only for flood control. But now, we have said we have to… that flood control always now includes irrigation and sometimes even power, if we can do it,” he added. </p><p>The President, also the concurrent agriculture chief, assured the public the National Irrigation Administration has mechanisms ensuring that dams have steady supply of water for agricultural use. </p><p>The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) last week said it would further reduce the allocation of water for irrigation and domestic use once the level of Angat Dam, a major water source in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, reaches its minimum operating level of 180 meters.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/29/23/government-aims-to-form-el-nio-team-in-10-days-dilg">Government aims to form El Niño team ‘in 10 days’: DILG</a></li></ul><p>This means that from 50 cubic meters per second (cms), domestic use will be cut to 48 cms. Meanwhile, allocation from irrigation will also be lowered from 28.5 cms to just 20 cms. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/07/07/23/water-utilities-prep-for-lower-allocation-amid-el-nio">Water utilities prep for lower allocation amid El Niño</a></li></ul><p>PAGASA has declared the onset of El Niño because of warmer temperatures at the equatorial Pacific.</p><p>Its effects will be felt in the country starting October. </p><p>The National Economic Development Authority already downplayed the impact of El Niño on the country’s food supply and the economy, saying this would depend on the government’s preparation. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2714961" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Video from the Presidential Communications Office</div>

Press Secretary Cheloy Garafil said the Water Resources Management Office, under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, was tasked to lead the crafting of the contingency and mitigation plan. 