Angat water supply higher than normal in midsummer

MANILA, Philippines - The supply of potable water for Metro Manila’s 13 million residents is secure, with the water level at the Angat Dam higher than normal despite increasing temperatures, an official said Friday.

Records obtained by The STAR show that the water in the dam is 193.60 meters above sea level as of Friday morning. Engineer Rodolfo German, general manager of the Angat River Hydroelectric Power Plant, said “Metro Manila’s potable water requirement is secured, but we are also advising residents to conserve water now that the daily temperature is rising.” ARHEPP, a division of the National Power Corp., operates the dam.

German said summer will be over in a month, and he projects the water level to remain high as it started to rain within the 63,000-hectare watershed, which supplies 97 percent of Metro Manila’s water needs.

On April 12, 2010, the water elevation at the dam was lower than the critical 180 meters. The drop resulted in a shortage of water in some parts of the metropolis, and the prolonged summer caused the water level to drop to a record low of 158 meters by July last year.

German said they have stopped cloud seeding operations over the watershed, and are counting on the weather bureau’s forecasts of an early onset of the rainy season due to the La Niña weather phenomenon.