Irrigation allocation from Angat Dam temporarily stopped

The government on Thursday temporarily stopped allocating water from the Angat Dam for irrigation, as the water level continues to be below the minimum operating volume.

"Effective po ngayon, suspended po 'yung pag-release natin ng tubig ng alokasyon para sa irigasyon," National Water Resources Board (NWRB) Executive Director Sevillo David Jr. said in an interview on GMA News "Balitanghali."

The suspension of the allocation comes after the NWRB slashed the allocation for irrigation to 10 cubic meters from the earlier allocation of 35 cubic meters.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/691898/irrigation-allocation-from-angat-dam-to-be-slashed-anew-on-may-1/story/

According to David, the suspension will not hurt the agriculture sector, as farmers no longer need water for allocation given that they have already started to harvest their crops.

"Hindi na po nila kinakailangan ng alokasyon sa tubig," he said.

In the same interview, David said the Angat Dam water level continues to fall below the minimum operating volume of 180 meters, but the recent rains have slowed down the drop.

"Ang pinakaimportante doon ay medyo mababa 'yung pagbaba niya. Sa ngayon, medyo bumababa pa rin siya, pero dahil nga doon sa mga pag-ulan, naging medyo mas mabagal," he said.

Looking ahead, David said the Angat Dam water level is likely to continue dropping, given the El Niño conditions.

"Sa tingin natin, medyo bababa pa rin po siya ng pakonti konti at hanggang magkaroon ng panahon ng pag-ulan, itong mga panahon bago matapos ang Mayo or itong mga buwan ng Hunyo base rin sa projection ng PAGASA," he said. — MDM, GMA News