(Bloomberg) -- Some 131 cities and municipalities in the Philippines have declared a state of calamity due to El Nino, an official said, as the Southeast Asian nation grapples with drought and extreme heat.

The areas are affected by El Nino “in varying degrees,” with many of them experiencing drought or low rain fall, Joey Villarama, spokesperson for the government’s El Nino task force, told reporters on Tuesday. Declaring a state of calamity would give the local government units easier access to funds. 

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The temperature in the Philippine capital Manila reached a record of 38.8C (101.8F) on Saturday and has since been higher in other areas of the main Luzon island, according to the nation’s weather forecaster. New warnings were issued Tuesday over potential disruption to electricity supplies amid increased demand.

Losses to the Philippines’ agriculture output due to the drought have reached about 4.4 billion pesos ($76.2 million), affecting nearly 78,000 hectares of crops, mainly rice, based on the latest available data from Manila’s agriculture department.

The government is considering conducting cloud seeding in other parts of the country after a recent similar operation in the northern province of Cagayan, Villarama said.

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