A Taste of El Niño
Yesterday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) recorded this year’s hottest temperature in Metro Manila at 35°c and yet the summer is just starting.
It was really hot yesterday, I went to SM Dasma to pay my bills and do some other errands, the moment I got out of the air-conditioned mall, I felt like being burned alive (OK that’s an exaggeration). But honestly, it was so damn hot that I wanted to go back inside the mall and savor the cool temperature inside.
According to PAGASA, we are yet to see (or feel) the effects of the El Niño phenomenon this year. Watching the news made me feel sorry for what the farmers are going into, crops are dying, bush fires here & there, a lot of fish are dying due to lack of oxygen and water levels in our dams are hitting it’s critical level.
As far as I can remember, this is not the first time that we are being hit by this natural phenomenon and we’re still unprepared to face it. Of all the instances, the farmers are being hit by the effects of the El Niño, billions of pesos of crops were wasted in the past and the sad thing is we will be facing the same scenario.
We are also in danger of having a power shortage, with less water in our dams it simply means that lesser power generating capability. This might force us to maximize the capability of our coal fired and gas fueled power plants to generate enough power to supply the country’s power needs, which is not only bad to our environment but also might result to shutdowns.
How come we never learned? In my lifetime, this is the third time that we faced the situation, but sadly, no concrete plans were drawn to at least minimize the effect of this natural phenomenon. Worst, you have an Energy Secretary saying, “Don’t blame us, blame God.” Sorry Mr. Secretary, I won’t blame God for what is happening to us, the effects of what you are calling as force majeure could have been minimize if only you acted on finding renewable source of power instead of just betting on fossil energy to be the source of our electric energy.
As always, we’re just gonna be accepting the blows, the suffering is just beginning.
I don’t like the heat
great thing it rained this morning.