Sinabi ni Department of Science and Techonology (DOST) Secretary Renato Solidum mula sa tanggapan nito sa Taguig City na ngayong Abril, may 48 probinsiya ang maaapektuhan ng sobrang tagtuyot at mainit at walang ulan din sa 24 na iba pa.
Pagdating ng Mayo, aabot na sa 54 na probinsiya ang maaapektuhan ng matinding tagtuyot at 10 naman ang hindi makakaranas ng ulan o may dry spell.
"So, almost the same if you combine both the drought and dry spell but the drought-affected provinces will continue to persist based on DOST-PAGASA's outlook - 25 by June, 23 by July and 10 by August,'' ang pahayag ni Solidum.
Ang ilang mga probinsiya naman, ayon kay Solidum, ay maaapektuhan ng pinagsamang El Niño at pagpasok ng La Niña.
"Although the El Niño will transition to neutral by April, May, June 2024 season, there is also the increasing probability of La Niña at 62% in June, July, August season. Hence, we need to continue doing the operations for El Niño preparedness but also keeping in mind that we need to prepare for La Niña in the second half of the year,'' dagdag pa ni Solidum.
Ang El Niño phenomenon ay ang abnormal na pag-init ng ibabaw na temperatura ng dagat sa gitna at silangang equatorial Pacific Ocean at madalang na pag-ulan.
Ang La Niña naman ay may kinalaman sa higit sa normal na pag-ulan na maaaring maging dahilan ng pagbabaha at pagguho ng lupa.
Samantala, may binuong El Niño Southern Oscillation platform ang DOST na tumutugon sa limang sektor tulad ng pagkain, tubig, kalusugan, kaligtasan ng publiko at enerhiya.
''The public can actually look at the platform to know more about these different sectors, what the government agencies are doing. But they can also look at information materials that can help them prepare for El Niño and later on, La Niña and to make sure that they contribute to the preparedness of their communities for these hazards,'' ang paliwanag ni Solidum.
Ang El Niño phenomenon ay nagsimula noong Hulyo 4 ng nakaraang taon.
(Larawan mula sa Philippine News Agency)
