DENR preparing for worst-case water depletion

MANILA, Philippines — The government is preparing for the worst scenario amid the continued drop in the water level of Angat Dam, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

DENR Undersecretary Carlos David said that the department, through the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) is eyeing to tap the lower level outlet of Angat Dam to ensure water supply in Metro Manila.

As of 8 a.m. yesterday, the water level of Angat Dam dropped by 0.27 meters from its previous level of 187.13 meters. It was 25.14 meters below its normal high water level of 212 meters.

David ruled out the possibility of experiencing a water crisis similar to 2019 despite the impact of the El Niño and the dry season.

“If I recall, 2019 was the worst (water) interruption in recent times. Metro Manila residents queued just to have water. I don’t think we will reach that point because number one, we are activating another outlet where the water will be sourced from a lower level,” David added.

He said that despite the decline in water level of Angat Dam, the DENR and NWRB decided to provide full allocation for irrigation for the entire month of May.

“We are in the last month, last mile of cropping season and therefore we gave full allocation to irrigation and then we harvest by the end of May,” David said.

According to him, the government will implement conservation efforts amid the decision to maintain the 50 cubic meters per second (cms) allocation for Metro Manila.

He said there is still no plan to limit the operation of car washes.

“If you will observe, the car washes are also operating laundry shops as the water from the laundry place is being recycled, they have interventions. They use power hoses, which use less water when we clean our cars with a garden hose. At present, no businesses are prohibited,” he said.

Metro Manila and nearby provinces will not experience water interruption with the current 50 cms allocation from the Angat Dam, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) manager Patrick Dizon said.

Dizon added that the MWSS does not expect that the water level of Angat Dam will reach its critical level of 160 meters.

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.

No price freeze needed 

The Department of Agriculture (DA) bucked the calls of some lawmakers to declare a nationwide price freeze amid the damage brought by El Niño.

The declaration of price freeze is only done when a state of calamity is implemented, according to DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa.

“Not the entire country is affected by the El Niño. As we can see, mostly those affected are in the western section. There was a declaration of state of calamity for each affected local government unit, so if we cover the entire country because of El Niño, there might be problems in other areas,” De Mesa said.

De Mesa said that the total damage of El Niño to the agriculture sector has further ballooned to P5.9 billion, with more than 80,000 farmers affected including 60,000 palay peasants.

He added that the government’s interventions have already reached P2.18 billion.

“We distributed inputs, including the pump engine, totaling to almost P700 million. The Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation has also distributed almost P68 million in indemnification or insurance claims,” De Mesa said.

He said that the Agricultural and Credit Policy Council has distributed P10 million under the Survival and Recovery Loan.