Angat Dam exec assures enough water supply

An official of Angat Dam assured yesterday the residents of Metro Manila that there will be adequate water supply despite the lack of rains that caused the low water level in the dam, that supplies more than 90 percent of potable water to the metropolis.

Engineer Rodolfo German, the manager of the River Hydro-Electric Power Plant (Arhepp) said water supply in Metro Manila is still sufficient with the continuing release of 44 cubic meters per second of water to Ipo Dam that supply water to La Mesa Dam, the main water reservoir of Metro Manila.

He said that water elevation at the vital Ipo Dam is being maintained to at least 100 meters.

The Provincial Disaster Coordinating Office (PDCO) records showed that water elevation at the Angat Dam that supplies 97 percent of Metro Manila’s potable water needs have dropped to 173.73 meters above sea level as of yesterday morning.

German, however, said that the power generation of the 245-megawatt Arhepp which is under the supervision of the National Power Corp. (NPC), was been reduced due to low water level at Angat Dam.

He said the receding water level in the dam had prompted officials to shut down several power turbines.

German said that Arhepp is currently generating only 35 megawatts of electricity.

He clarified that despite the reduction in power generation it will not drastically affect the power supply in the Luzon Grid of the National Transmission Corp. (Transco) since there are enough power generated by other power plants in different parts of the country. – Dino Balabo