All PH provinces forecast to experience drought by end-March 2027: DOST
All provinces in the Philippines are expected to be under a drought by end of March 2027, according to Department of Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr.
In a press briefing on the El Niño event in the country, Solidum was asked how many provinces in the Philippines will be experiencing drought by March 2027.
"By end of March, lahat ng probinsya," Solidum replied.
He further said the government couldn't definitively say how low water reserves in the country could go amidst El Niño as it depends on conservation efforts.
"Hindi na natin masasabi kung gaanong kababa ang mangyayari," Solidum said.
"Nandyan ang National Water Resources Board. Sila ang mamamahala ng allocation ng tubig; kung pang-inom, kung pang-irrigate, or pang kuryente," he added.
Solidum said there would still be rain during El Niño, just not too much of it.
"'Pag sinabi naman nating El Niño, may mga time din na uulan siya. But the long-term forecast ay mas kokonti ang tubig na ibabagsak," he said.
Asked how frequently it could rain during El Niño, Solidum said, "Hindi masyadong marami."
A climate advisory released by DOST-PAGASA on Sept. 23 warned that a strong El Niño was active in the Tropical Pacific, which is immediately to the east of the Philippine Sea. It's expected to intensify into a "very strong El Niño" between September and December 2026, and would continue through the first half of 2027.
El Niño is a climate pattern that warms surface waters. In the Philippines, according to the PAGASA forecast, it raises the likelihood of drought across the country. It also threatens food security, stretches water resources, impedes energy production, and negatively affects public health and the broader economy.
Although a whole-of-government approach is being implemented by Malacañang, it also falls on the public to conserve water as early as now to help mitigate the effects of El Niño on the country.
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