NWRB: Angat Dam’s water to hit below operating level by weekend

Angat Dam’s water could hit below its operating level this coming weekend, given the rate of its decline in the past rain-less two months, the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) said Friday.

Citing data from the NWRB, GMA New’s Balitanghali reported that water at the dam is already nearing its minimum operating level at 180 meters above the sea.

At 6 a.m. Friday, Angat’s water level was at 180.73m mark. And given the rate of decline in the last two months, it would hit below 180m this coming weekend, and by end-May it is seen to hit the 170-meter level. 

But the NWRB assured the public that at 170-meter level, Angat’s supply for the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) would still be normal.

The Angat Dam, through the MWSS, supplies 96 percent of Metro Manila’s water needs.

According to the water board, the dam’s supply for irrigation has been reduced from 35 cubic meters per second (m3/s) to 10 m3/s.

But Angat Dam officials said the cut in the supply for irrigation would not have significant effect on irrigation-fed croplands in Pampanga and Bulacan because this time of the year is harvest season in the two provinces.

But NWRB has continued to remind consumers to conserve water, saying that the effects of the weak El Niño may last until the end of the year. This means, Angat’s water level recovery would be slower than the normal due to the expected low rainfall levels. —LBG, GMA News