MANILA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines will continue to implement measures to lessen the impact of the El Nino weather phenomenon, as it braces for the opposite La Nina weather pattern, Philippine Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum said Tuesday.
Solidum said in a news conference that the Department of Science and Technology's record showed that as of Sunday, 37 provinces across the country have been experiencing drought conditions, or the "meteorological drought," 17 provinces under dry spells, and 13 with dry conditions.
Solidum warned that although El Nino continues to weaken, its impact will continue next month to June, with an increasing possibility of La Nina at 62 percent between June and August this year.
Solidum clarified that historically, pre-developing La Nina is characterized by below-normal rainfall, which means the possibility of a slight delay in the onset of the rainy season is likely, and its effects will combine with those of the ongoing El Nino phenomenon.
"If we look at the impacts of the ongoing El Nino starting October (last year), we have seen some provinces experience dry spells, but up to March, we have seen an increasing number of provinces affected by dry spells and drought," Solidum said.
"So the forecast for the ongoing effects of El Nino will continue for April. We have 48 provinces to be affected by drought and 24 dry spells, but by May, there will be 54 provinces to be affected by drought and 10 dry spells," Solidum said.
According to the Philippines' Department of Agriculture, the damage caused by the El Nino dry spell and drought to Philippine agriculture has reached over 1.75 billion pesos (roughly 31 million U.S. dollars).
El Nino occurs when seawater is warmer than usual, while La Nina is the large-scale cooling of sea surface temperatures in the central and equatorial Pacific Ocean. ■
