Pagasa: Rains to fill Angat Dam this month

MANILA, Philippines — The water level in Angat Dam rose to 177.12 meters yesterday, only 4.69 meters below its normal operating level, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said.

PAGASA is optimistic that the dam, which supplies 97 percent of Metro Manila’s water demands, will reach its normal operating level of 181.81 meters this month due to rains from tropical cyclones and the southwest monsoon.

 The agency said a weak El Niño, which brought below normal rainfall in the country since the last quarter of 2018, has ended. 

“The warmer than average sea surface temperature in the... Pacific Ocean has weakened and transitioned into neutral levels in July,” PAGASA administrator Vicente Malano said. 

A neutral condition means that there is no prevailing El Niño or La Niña. El Niño is associated with dry condition and La Niña with excessive rainfall.

The weak El Niño has prevented the formation of cyclones in  May and June. The weather condition also resulted in Angat Dam’s critical water level of below 160 meters, PAGASA said. 

The state weather bureau said it expects near normal rainfall this month with patches of above normal rainfall in Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Metro Manila, most parts of Eastern Visayas and the  provinces of Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Bataan, Aurora, Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Norte. 

3 tropical cyclones

Three more tropical cyclones are forecast to enter the country this month.

Recent tropical cyclones and low-pressure areas have enhanced the southwest monsoon and brought heavy rains in most parts of Luzon, including Bulacan, where Angat Dam is located, and in Western Visayas. 

However, the National Water Resources Board has yet to increase water allocation for Metro Manila residents even though the water level in Angat Dam is less than five meters below its normal mark.