Pampanga, Bulacan first to feel effects of critical level at Angat Dam

Some 27,000 hectares of farmlands in Pampanga and Bulacan provinces in Central Luzon may be the first to bear the brunt of critical levels of water in Angat Dam, particularly for irrigation.

 

National Power Corp. (NAPOCOR), the operator of Angat Dam, is expected to cut the water supply to these areas after the level breached the 180-meter mark, Mav Gonzales reported in GMA News' "Unang Balita."

 

As of 6 a.m. Monday, state weather agency PAGASA said the water level in Angat dipped to 179.80 meters from 180.12 meters on Sunday 

 

The 180-meter level was reached at 1 p.m. Sunday. The dam's critical level for drinking water is 160 meters.

 

However, the report noted the dam manager allayed fears the water level for Angat may go all the way to 157 meters like in 2010.

 

Still, fears of the water levels going way below the critical level had prompted some parishes in Bulacan to offer Masses for rain.

 

Cloud-seeding

 

Gonzales reported cloud-seeding operations may not be possible at this time as there are no seedable clouds over the watershed area.

 

NAPOCOR is also waiting for the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to green-light the cloud-seeding operations, she added.

 

CAAP may have become stricter on the matter after a cloud-seeding plane crashed in Nueva Vizcaya last April 27, killing at least four people on board. – Joel Locsin/KG/VS, GMA News