Angat Dam back to minimum operating level

MALOLOS, Philippines – The water level in Angat Dam has continued to rise due to rains spawned by Typhoon Ursula.

As of yesterday morning, the dam’s water elevation was monitored at 200.68 meters or 20.68 meters above its minimum operating level of 180 meters, according to the Bulacan provincial risk reduction and management council. 

On Thursday, the water level in the dam was recorded at 199.72 meters.

Yesterday’s water level is only 11.32 meters below its ideal end-of-the-year mark of 212 meters.

The allocation for Metro Manila’s water supply will return to 46 cubic meters per second if the dam’s water level will reach 212 meters, Sevillo David Jr., executive director of the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), told The STAR.

David said irrigation of Bulacan and Pampanga’s farmlands would also revert to 30 cms if the water level would continue to rise.

The current allocation for Metro Manila’s water supply is 40 cms and 10 cms for irrigation of Bulacan and Pampanga rice fields.

Heavy rains brought by recent typhoons failed to fill Angat Dam, prompting the NWRB to cut down the allocation for Metro Manila’s domestic consumption. The move resulted in rotational water service interruptions. 

Angat Dam supplies 97 percent of Metro Manila’s water needs.

Meanwhile, the water level in Ipo Dam was .07 meters above its spilling level of 101 meters yesterday.

The water level in Bustos Dam was .44 meters below its spilling level of 17.34 meters. 

Bustos Dam supplies irrigation water to 12,000 hectares of rice fields in Bulacan and 9,000 hectares in Pampanga. The bulk of the allocation comes from Angat Dam.