Drought - 1997-1998, Philippines

The El Nino phenomenon bought drought to the island of Mindanao and reduced rainfall elsewhere, with 90 percent of the country receiving 50 percent less rainfall than usual, along with above average temperatures and extensive wildfires¹.

The dry spell in 1997 lasted between June and October affecting 68 percent of the country. After the El Nino dissipated in July-August 1998, the effects, including delayed tropical cyclone activity and less rainfall, were felt through to mid-September².

Both rural and urban households throughout the country experienced reduced water supply due to the lack of water in reservoirs dependant on surface water supplies including the multipurpose Angat Dam, servicing Metropolitan Manila that reached critically low levels².

The drought generated a famine claiming 72 lives through outbreaks of diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, diarrhoea and cholera and acute malnutrition².

¹ ReliefWeb. 1998. Drought Information Bulletin No. 1
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/ACOS-64CFEP?OpenDocument

² UCAR. 2007. Philippines Country Case Study: Impacts and Responses to the 1997-98 El Nino Event
http://www.ccb.ucar.edu/un/philippines.html