LPA may develop into typhoon

MANILA, Philippines — A low-pressure area (LPA) monitored outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) is expected to enter and may develop into a typhoon, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said yesterday.

PAGASA weather specialist Grace Castañeda said the state bureau does not expect the LPA to have direct effect on any parts of the country.

“It will not have a direct effect but it is possible that the LPA will enter our PAR today. Within two to three days, there is still a small chance it will develop into a typhoon but our monitoring is continuous as we do not discount the possibility that it will develop (into a typhoon),” Castañeda said.

She said the LPA was last monitored 990 kilometers east northeast of Mindanao.

On the other hand, Castañeda said that the intertropical convergence zone is currently affecting Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

“We expect that rains will affect the big portion of Visayas as well as Southern Luzon and Mindanao,” she said.

According to the state bureau, Metro Manila and the rest of the country will experience localized thunderstorms.

Angat Dam water level

Meanwhile, as of 6 a.m. yesterday, the water level of Angat Dam dropped further to 184.05 meters or 0.37 meters less compared to its previous level of 184.42 meters.

The current water level of Angat Dam is only 4.05 meters away before it reaches its critical level of 180 meters.

Starting July 1, 2023, the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) will start implementing the 50 cubic meters per second (cms) water allocation for Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water amid the continuous drop in the water level of Angat Dam.

The NWRB has renewed the 52 cms allocation for the two water concessionaires until June 30, 2023 following request from the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System.

NWRB executive director Sevillo David Jr. has said that the water agency can no longer sustain the 52 cms allotments for Maynilad and Manila Water after June 30, 2023 amid the threat of the El Niño phenomenon.

Angat Dam supplies more than 90 percent of Metro Manila’s potable water needs and provides for the irrigation needs of 25,000 hectares of farmlands in Bulacan and Pampanga.