The Philippine government and environmental groups have introduced measures to mitigate the effects of the El Nino, which is expected to hit many countries in the region later this year.
The Philippine government and local environmental groups have introduced measures to mitigate the effects of the El Nino weather phenomenon, which is expected to hit the Philippines and other countries in the Asia Pacific region later this year.
According to forecasts from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), one of the strongest El Ninos in recorded history will happen in the coming months.
The EcoWaste Coalition, an environmental watchdog in the Philippines, has called on the public to save on water and electricity consumption as these two commodities will be the first to be affected by possible prolonged drought caused by El Nino.
El Nino occurs every two to seven years in varying intensity, and the temperature of waters of the eastern Pacific can rise by up to 4 degrees Celsius.
The Philippines weather agency said the phenomenon in the country may intensify from moderate to severe from the last quarter of 2015 through to the first quarter of 2016.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has implemented measures to lessen the impact of El Nino since 2014 such as cloud-seeding operations in different parts of the country.
The DA has initiated water-management and production-support programs to help farmers deal with the impacts of the drought, including the installation of small water-impounding projects and diversion dams in rice-growing regions.
A record El Nino affected 74,000 hectares of agricultural lands in 18 provinces in the Philippines in 1997, with Mindanao in the southern Philippines being the worst hit. More than 70 people died and almost half a million farmer families suffered from food shortage because of the drought.-VNA
Vietnam is forecast to experience severe weather conditions in 2015, especially heat waves and droughts, according to the National Hydro-Meteorology Service (HMS).
Vietnam could bear the brunt of severe effects from the El Nino phenomenon which could last until the end of this year and have a harsh impact on global weather patterns.
Hot weather will continue in northern and central provinces for some more days, with the average temperature hovering around 38 degrees Celsius, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF).
A 40-degree heat wave is sweeping through the northern and central regions of Vietnam on July 1, said the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF).
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The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
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The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
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The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
Illustrative image (Photo: AFP)
