BACOLOD City – Two more villages in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental are almost out of water, bringing to 11 the total number of villages affected by water shortage due to the ongoing drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon.
These barangays are Buenavista, Cabadiangan, Cabanbanan, Carabalan, Libacao, Mahalang, Mambgaton, Nabalia-an, San Antonio, Su-ay, and To-oy.
As of this writing, a total of 20,223 residents in the city were affected by the shortage of potable water, according to Joefil Sombilion, head of Research and Planning Section of the Himamaylan City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO).
Sombilion said in Barangay Mahalang alone, around 40 households no longer have access to water from their deep well measuring around 80 to 90 feet deep.
The city government has scheduled water rationing to affected residents using their water tankers.
The provincial government has also lent its water filtration equipment to the city government for obtaining additional water for the affected residents.
As of this writing, CDRRMO said there is no recommendation yet for the declaration of a state of calamity, adding that the Rapid Damage Assessment & Needs Analysis (RDANA) was still gathering data from drought-affected barangays.
CDRRMO data further showed that 13 barangays also suffered damages to their rice fields with losses reaching P12,064,923. (Watchmen Daily Journal)/PN
