Davao City forms El Niño working group as very strong dry spell expected into 2027

Davao City has set up an El Niño working group to safeguard food, water and power supplies as well as public health and safety, with weather forecasters expecting a very strong El Niño to last until the first half of 2027, according to SunStar.

The Davao City El Niño Working Group was created through Executive Order 39, series of 2026, which was issued on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and took effect immediately, based on a copy posted on the city government's website. The order said the group was already part of the city's El Niño Action Plan 2023.

The group is tasked with identifying the areas and sectors most at risk, drawing up plans to prevent or ease the impact, and securing the funds, personnel and equipment needed. It will also expand information campaigns to help residents prepare.

Its work is divided into five areas. The City Agriculturist's Office leads food security, the Davao City Water District handles water, the Davao Light and Power Company covers power, and the City Health Office oversees health. Public safety falls under the City Administrator's Office and the Public Safety and Security Office. Regional offices of national agencies, including Pagasa and the departments of agriculture, energy, health and social welfare, will provide technical support. Funding will come from the city's disaster risk reduction and management fund and its general fund.

The City Agriculturist's Office has prepared water pumps, power sprayers and two water tankers that farmers' associations and cooperatives can borrow, the City Information Office (CIO) reported. Engr. Gilbert Iglesias of the office's Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Division said the tankers are on standby at the Malagos nursery and will be hauled by the office's two tractors to areas lacking water. Farmer groups may request equipment by sending a letter of intent to their district agriculture office.

The CIO also said the city has seven solar-powered irrigation systems in Paquibato, Toril and Calinan districts, built since 2023, and about 700 rainwater catchments in upland areas.

Pagasa said on Nov. 4 that a very strong El Niño is present. In October, Pagasa-Davao weather specialist Engr. Alan Ray Ribo told the City Council that rainfall would drop significantly from November and that the city could enter a dry spell by February 2027, affecting water sources such as the Panigan-Tamugan River watershed.

The order recalls the 1997-1998 El Niño, when the national economy shrank by 0.5 percent and agriculture by 7 percent. Vice Mayor Rodrigo "Rigo" Duterte II said city offices had been directed "to strengthen preparations for the El Niño and maintain essential services."