ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - The city government here declared a state of calamity due to the dry spell spawned by the severe El Niño phenomenon.
The city council approved unanimously the declaration of the state of calamity to allow the city government to release the needed calamity fund for mitigating the effects of dry spell.
The resolution was approved Tuesday following the recommendations of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CDRRMC), according to Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, chairperson of the council.
Salazar said the declaration was endorsed with the recommendations of the local water utility provider after continuous receding of water supply and the imposition of 12-hour water rationing.
The city agriculture office reported that the dry spell had already damaged hectares of agricultural crops, mainly rice, corn and vegetables, with estimated value of P10.8 million.