Lawmaker pushes Angat irrigation supply cut

MANILA, Philippines — Amid continued reports of dwindling water levels, a senior lawmaker yesterday proposed that removing the 10-percent allocation of Angat Dam’s water supply to irrigation might help stabilize and improve the water demand for residents of Metro Manila.

Makati City District 2 Rep. Luis Campos Jr. made the proposal as he supported President Marcos’ plan to collect, impound and recycle Metro Manila’s storm water to irrigate nearby provinces.

“We are all for it. Assuming that the government can establish new large storm water reservoirs for farm irrigation, then all of Angat Dam’s water reserve may be freed up and devoted exclusively to supplying Metro Manila’s demand for potable water,” Campos said.

“At present, besides supplying 90 percent of Metro Manila’s water requirement, Angat also provides water to irrigate some 28,000 hectares of farmland in Central Luzon,” he added.

The legislator’s remarks came as Angat Dam’s water level continued to drop due to abnormally low rainfall amid a looming El Niño event.

As of 6 a.m. yesterday, the dam’s water level fell to 184 meters, or just four meters above the dam’s 180-meter critically low water mark.

The dam’s normal high water level is 210 meters.

In previous dry spells, Angat Dam, located in Norzagaray, Bulacan, stopped releasing farm irrigation water to conserve water supply for Metro Manila.

Campos had previously filed House Resolution 906, which pressed for a congressional inquiry into what he called the “unsuccessful implementation” of the Rainwater Collection and Springs Development Law of 1989.

The 34-year-old law requires the Department of Public Works and Highways to construct rainwater collectors in all barangays.

In a recent congressional hearing, state weather experts warned of an El Niño that has a 90 percent chance of developing starting next month and could persist until the first quarter of 2024.

When the Philippines last endured an El Niño event in 2019, vast parts of the country reeled from a drought that caused widespread water shortages and farm losses.