Angat’s water level keeps dropping despite rains

MANILA, Philippines — Heavy rains that prevailed over Luzon in the past few days failed to stop the water level in Angat Dam in Bulacan from decreasing.

As of 8 a.m. yesterday, the dam’s elevation was down to 173.93 meters, or lower by 18 centimeters from its previous level of 174.11 meters.

The elevation was 36.07 meters below Angat’s normal high water level of 210 and 6.07 meters below its minimum operating level of 180.

Patrick Dizon, water and sewerage management department manager at the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, said the reduction in the water pressure for Metro Manila households would remain due to the continued drop in the reservoir’s elevation.

“The cut in the water pressure will continue since Angat has yet to recover its minimum operating level (of 180 meters),” Dizon said in a text message to The STAR yesterday.

Angat 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.

Dizon said Maynilad Water Services Inc. informed its customers in Barangays Sauyo and Talipapa in Quezon City that a service interruption would occur from 10 p.m. tomorrow until 6 a.m. the next day, due to maintenance activities along Mindanao Avenue.

Aside from Angat, the water level in six other dams in Luzon also decreased.

The elevation in Ipo Dam, also in Bulacan, dropped to 99.80 meters or down by two centimeters from its previous level of 99.82 meters.

Other dams in Luzon are Ambuklao and Binga in Benguet, San Roque in Pangasinan, Magat in Isabela and Caliraya in Laguna.