By Teresa D. Ellera
BACOLOD CITY, August 31 (PNA) — All sectors in Negros Occidental have been alerted to prepare for the possible effects of what is considered as the longest El Niño phenomenon.
This was stressed by Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. during the recent Provincial Development Council (PDC) meeting.
The long drought may start this September up to the first quarter of next year.
Frank Carbon, president of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said mitigating measures of the province will be presented during the next PDC meeting.
Carbon noted that there are already businessmen in the city who have expressed alarm on the coming El Niño, especially those businesses that are dependent on deep wells.
He said that a department store in the city is already complaining that the water deposit of their deep wells are already depleting from 30 to 40 percent and that inquiries are already made on how to augment the situation.
Along with this, Carbon said, they will write the Bacolod City Water District (BACIWA), the City Government of Bacolod, and the Sangguniang Panlungsod to inform them of the situation.
He said that they want to ask BACIWA of the status of their water supply especially the condition of the deep wells where they get bulk of the water supply.
“We want to be proactive on this situation,” Carbon added.(PNA)