Bohol fast-tracks P5-M cloud-seeding plan amid dry spell

TAGBILARAN CITY—The Bohol provincial government is fast-tracking the procurement of a P5-million cloud-seeding operation as prolonged heat and below-normal water levels threaten thousands of hectares of farmland across the province.

Provincial Administrator Asteria Caberte said during the full-council meeting of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) on Thursday that the contract could be awarded today after the procurement was placed under an emergency procedure.

Two companies, Pegasus and Fliteline, have expressed interest in conducting the cloud-seeding operation.

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READ: PH Air Force to aid cloud seeding amid El Niño threat

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The P5-million allocation from the provincial disaster risk reduction and management fund is expected to cover about 31 hours of cloud-seeding flights.

Caberte said the provincial government will also coordinate with Aboitiz to negotiate lower aircraft service costs.

If the contract is awarded as scheduled, cloud seeding could begin on Monday.

Another P7 million allocated by the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Soils and Water Management for a separate cloud-seeding operation remains under procurement.

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Critical condition

Larry Pamugas, assistant provincial agriculturist, said about 23,000 hectares of rice fields in Bohol are in critical condition because of reduced rainfall.

He said cloud-seeding operations would be carried out in areas identified based on agricultural and weather data.

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READ: Cloud seeding starts in Negros amid dry spell

Data presented during the PDRRMC meeting also showed that water levels in all major dams in Bohol were below normal.

The prolonged heat has caused cracks in farmland in several areas, particularly in Balilihan, Catigbian, Sagbayan and Carmen. Some rice crops have already been damaged, while creeks and streams have dried up.

Reduced water supply from irrigation systems has further strained farmers, who are hoping for substantial rainfall to save their remaining crops.

The PDRRMC said the cloud-seeding operation is being pursued as a mitigation measure against the continuing effects of El Niño on the province’s agriculture and fisheries sectors.

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Bohol, known as the “rice bowl of Central Visayas,” is one of the region’s major rice-producing provinces. /das