Rains boost dam levels, but water rationing to continue

MANILA, Philippines — Even with the continuous monsoon rains helping increase the water level at Angat Dam, consumers may have to bear with rationing for a few more days as the supply is yet to go back to normal.

The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) decided to retain the 36 cubic meters per second (CMS) allocation for domestic supply in Metro Manila as the dam’s water level is still below critical level.

“There have been improvements but this is still below the critical level of 160 meters. As of now, we will maintain the 36 CMS allocation,” NWRB executive director Sevillo David Jr. said yesterday. “We will continue to look if there will be a steady increase of water level before we evaluate and decide on another adjustment.”

Water allocation for concessionaires Maynilad Water Services and Manila Water has already been slashed to 36 CMS from 40 CMS. This is a huge cut from the average allocation of 48 CMS on normal days.

Because of this, supply interruptions will continue to persist in most parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

As of yesterday afternoon, the dam’s water level increased to 159.91 meters — a slight increase from Sunday’s 158.64 — but is still below the critical level of 160 meters. The normal level is at 180 meters.

David said the NWRB would have to monitor if there is a steady increase in the water elevation before making any adjustment in the water allocation.

“We still have to evaluate if the increase in water level is steady as well as check on PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration) projections before making any decision concerning allocation,” he added.

PAGASA earlier said consumers might have to endure more months of unstable water supply as the water level in Angat Dam reaches its normal level only by September or October.

Both Maynilad and Manila Water hope that the water level would continue to go up so NWRB can finally increase the raw water allocation for Metro Manila and enable them to distribute more supply to customers.

“We will still continue with the rotational interruptions until NWRB decides on a new allocation,” Manila Water spokesman Jeric Sevilla said.

“The current reduced allocation of 36 CMS is still short of what we need to provide uninterrupted water service for our customers,” Maynilad spokesperson Jennifer Rufo added.

This further cut in water allocation for Metro Manila and nearby provinces has caused longer hours of interruption for the more than 12 million combined consumers of both concessionaires.

Allocations for the agriculture sector will also resume only when Angat returns to 180 meters. The NWRB started reducing allocation for farms last April and eventually removed it earlier this month. – With Rhodina Villanueva, Louise Maureen Simeon, Ramon Lazaro, Evelyn Macairan