
TWO years ago this month, Metro Manila residents experienced a water supply crisis. President Duterte berated the two concessionaires, Manila Water and Maynilad, and issued threats on dire consequences if the problem would not be resolved.
Today’s edition of the PAGASA website reports: “La Niña is likely to continue through March-April-May 2021 (55 per cent chance), with a rising probability of returning to El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-neutral during April-May-June 2021 (60 per cent probability).”
What makes this forecast significant? Scientists explain further:
“The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a recurring climate pattern involving changes in the temperature of waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. … El Niño and La Niña are the extreme phases of the ENSO cycle; between these two phases is a third phase called ENSO-neutral.” An ENSO-neutral forecast with a 60 per cent probability indicates a more stable climate regime that is neither extremely hot nor rainy.
