Angat Dam breaching critical level

MANILA, Philippines — The water level in Angat Dam, Metro Manila’s water source, is expected to breach critical level this weekend, prompting the government to reduce allocation for irrigation use and instead focus on domestic consumption.

The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) said the latest elevation in Angat is at 180.73 meters and will further go down to 178 meters by the end of the month.

“At the current rate of decline of water level, we are projecting that it will breach the 180 minimum operating water level in the next two days,” NWRB executive director Sevillo David Jr. said at a briefing yesterday.

“Once it reaches below 180 meters, that is the threshold, it is automatic that we give priority to the water supply in Metro Manila,” he added.

The lowest water elevation this year is also expected at 173.13 meters by the end of next month but will slowly return to normal in June with the onset of the rainy season.

Because of this situation, NWRB decided to cut down on allocation for irrigation to ensure that the 48 cubic meters per second (CMS) or the 1,450 million liters per day needed by Metro Manila will be provided.

“This reduction in irrigation requirement will have no significant impact as far as the cropping season in Bulacan and Pampanga is concerned. This will really help in the level in Angat since we will have to reduce the releases,” David said.

Last month, allocation for the National Irrigation Administration was at 40 CMS and this was reduced to 35 CMS for April. Starting May, allocation will only be at 10 CMS.

NWRB argued that the summer harvest season is at the tail end, which means that water requirement is lower than average.

Allocation for the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), on the other hand, will remain at 48 CMS.

The Angat Operations Rule states that when water level in the dam reaches below 180 meters, water releases shall be made on the following order of priority: municipal use, irrigation use and river maintenance.

“We expect that there will be no significant changes as far as water services are concerned. The MWSS and the concessionaires will give ample warning to consumers should there be changes,” David said.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has reported that climate models indicate weak El Niño conditions for May to August and will likely persist from September to December.

Considering the situation, NWRB and other agencies continue to initiate contingency plans to sustain the availability of water supply for Metro Manila.

Among these are the temporary reopening of MWSS-operated deep wells and issuance of temporary water permit for the construction of new ones across the metro.

A cloud seeding operation is also under way to induce rainfall in the Angat area. The Angat Dam Low Level outlet is also being prepared in case water level reaches 160 meters.

NWRB is urging the public to conserve water to reduce the water demand from Angat to prevent the rapid decline of water level and contribute to its recovery.

“Not only are we securing that water will be available in the next couple of months, it will also help us manage future requirements of Metro Manila water users and our farmers,” David said.

Located in Barangay San Lorenzo in Norzagaray, Bulacan, Angat Dam supplies 97 percent of Metro Manila’s water needs and powers the Angat hydroelectric power plant.

The 131-meter high dam impounds water from the Angat River that created the Angat Lake.

Drought

As this developed, Sen. Cynthia Villar yesterday urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) and National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to use their multibillion-peso budgets to rescue farmers and fisherfolk from the worsening drought that is expected to last until August.

Villar, who chairs the Senate committee on agriculture and food, said for the rice sector alone, the DA already has P7 billion at its disposal to help farmers sustain their livelihood as their crops have been dying because of the drought.

“They (DA and NIA) should shape up and speed up their work. Our farmers badly need help right now and these agencies have really huge budgets. They should spend it now to rescue our farmers,” Villar said. – With Paolo Romero, Ramon Efren Lazaro