ILOILO CITY — The Iloilo Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) disclosed recently that at least four municipalities in Iloilo are on the threshold of declaring a state of calamity due to the El Niño phenomenon.

Iloilo PDRRMO head Cornelio Salinas said that the municipalities of Carles, Dumangas, Barotac Nuevo and Anilao are already mulling to declare a state of calamity, as Barotac Nuevo has already declared it, but there are rectifications on the procedural process.

He added that the three other towns are still in the process of finetuning.

Provincewide, the agency’s validated report showed losses of P422.6 million in rice, corn and high-value crops.

“Although our losses in crops are almost half a billion, there is a criterion. Very particular is that 30 percent of the livelihood is affected. The damage estimate is not enough to declare the state of calamity. There are other parameters,” Salinas said.

He added that river-run waters in the province are already at a critical level.

“It means we already lack water to provide enough water for farmlands,” Salinas said.

These include the Suage River Irrigation System dam, Sta Barbara diversion dam, Barotac Viejo RIS dam, Jalaur diversion dam and Sibalom diversion dam.