Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 24) — The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has assembled a team that will address the impact of El Niño, which is forecast to be experienced in the country as early as June and could become more severe in the first quarter of 2024.
“There are several points that we need to address. We need to prepare for the possible worst-case scenario and identify and harmonize short-term solutions, medium-term, and long-term solutions,” NDRRMC Executive Director and Civil Defense Administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said in an interagency meeting.
The proposed El Niño team will be led by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), with the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Office of Civil Defense (OCD), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), National Irrigation Administration (NIA), and Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) as members.
Additionally, a support team made up of the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has been established.
The El Niño phenomenon may be felt as early as June to August 2023, according to information provided at the meeting by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), with the likelihood that its severity will rise by the first quarter of 2024.
The NDRRMC said it is set to hold a series of meetings to ensure immediate implementation of interventions in preparation for the climate phenomenon.
