- Rivers in Lingayen, Pangasinan allegedly drying up due to El Niño
- As revealed by an officer of a fisherfolk organization, about 60 percent of rivers are now badly affected
- To mitigate the ill effects of the phenomenon, the provincial government has initiated programs and projects such as distribution of water pump and engine sets
About 60 percent of the rivers in Lingayen, the capital town of Pangasinan, have allegedly dried up due to the effect of El Niño.
This was revealed by Edgar Sison, president of the Lingayen Federation of Fisherfolk Organizations (LIFFO) Inc., as he added that the fishery industry is under serious threat due to low production of fish.
Sison aired this concern during the LIFFO First General Assembly held at the Pangasinan Training and Development Center (PTDC) on February 27, an article written by Johanne Margarette R. Macob which was published on Interaksyon noted.
Disclosing that at present El Niño poses the biggest threat to fishing industry, Sison said the general assembly serves beneficial because the agenda include discussions on how to address El Niño and how to seek assistance from concerned agencies.
As such, Sison said their group has requested the Pangasinan provincial government and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to provide them water pumps to ensure water supply in their fishponds.
BFAR provincial fishery officer Glicerio Legaspi, on the other hand, said consultative meetings are likewise being conducted to plan for the dredging of rivers to address El Niño.
The BFAR provincial office is continuously monitoring illegal fishing in Pangasinan, Legaspi added.
“We have patrol boats going around the provincial waters- West Philippine Sea and Lingayen Gulf- guarding against illegal fishing,” Legaspi was quoted saying.
Meanwhile, Legaspi said Pangasinan remains as the country’s top fishery-producer.
Legaspi disclosed the agency’s priority programs to aid the fisherfolk to include the National Shellfish Program, provision of fishery gears and paraphernalia, techno-demo projects, GAD (Gender and Development)-livelihood program, and Mangrove Enhancement Program.
On the part of the Pangasinan provincial government, assistance to the fishery industry is assured through various programs and projects.
In line with this, Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. spearheaded the distribution of water pump and engine sets to 100 Small Water Irrigation Systems Association (SWISA) groups and farmers’ organizations.
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