Angat Dam nears minimum operating level

MANILA, Philippines — The water level in Angat Dam is only around two meters above its minimum operating level.

As of 8 a.m. yesterday, the water level in the dam was at 181.85 meters compared to its previous level of 182.15 meters.

The dam’s minimum operating level is 180 meters.

Patrick Dizon, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System water and sewerage management manager, said the National Water Resources Board (NWRB)  did not grant MWSS’ request to maintain the 50 cubic meters per second (cms) allocation for Metro Manila consumers.

“The NWRB maintained the original approval of 50 cms from May 1 to 15 and 49 cms from May 15 to 31,” Dizon told The STAR.

The water level in the dam yesterday was 30.15 meters below its normal high of 212 meters.

Rains in the past few days have not been enough to improve the water level in the dam.

However, Dizon said the MWSS does not expect the water level in the dam to reach its critical level of 160 meters.

He assured residents of Metro Manila and nearby provinces of uninterrupted water supply despite the 49 cms allotted to Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water.

Dizon said the three cms would be taken from the allocation for the National Irrigation Administration.The NIA issued an advisory that there is no need for irrigation water at this time.

Angat Dam supplies more than 90 percent of Metro Manila’s potable water needs. It also provides irrigation for 25,000 hectares of rice fields in Bulacan and parts of Pampanga.

At least 1.5 million households previously experienced water interruptions of 14 to 16 hours due to the low water level in the dam.