The municipality of Sierra Bullones has been placed under a state of calamity due to water shortage.
The town’s Sanggunianag Bayan issued the declaration on Thursday through a resolution signed by Mayor Simplicio Maestrado and based on a recommendation of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
In the resolution, municipal lawmakers said that the town suffers from insufficient water supply for both domestic and agricultural use due to “abnormally low” rainfall amid a weak El Niño which plagues parts of the country.
According to Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) chief Anthony Damalerio, the villages of Poblacion, Salvador, San Agustin, San Jose, San Juan, La Union, Canlangit, Sta. Cruz and Villa Garcia have been heavily affected by the shortage.
Sierra Bullones has 22 barangays.
“Ga hisgot sila na eight to nine barangay pa ang ilang apektado kay kanang naa sa ubos, tungod kay lower zone man maoy ga lisod og tubig,” he said.
Fire trucks from the Sierra Bullones Fire Station have been delivering water supply to some of the affected villages.
Meanwhile, local authorities suspected that an earthquake which jolted the town last month may have also disrupted the flow of underground water supply.
“Posibli na ning lihok pero wa man nato mabati diri pero ingon sila na one month ago, sugod adtong linog na hinay, basin kuno natandog ilang [water] source sa ilaw’m,” said Damalerio.
The provincial government is now awaiting a report from the Sierra Bullones government but is already on standby to extend aid to the town.
According to Damalerio, both Governor Arthur Yap, who is currently out of the country for an official trip, and Vice Governor Rene Relampagos have been notified of the declaration.
“Mo tabang ta og unsy ilang need. Mag-deploy ba to og fire trucks, mangahanyo ta sa Bureau of Fire para dunay additional na equipment na mo deliver sa mga kabaryohan,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Education has also been notified of the water shortage for the department’s Bohol division to assess its facilities in the town and to ensure that measures are taken to have water supply in schools.
In an earlier interview, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration in Bohol said that the weak El Niño is projected to persist until the end of the year. (R. Tutas)