Angat Dam water level still receding despite rainy season; water conservation pushed

The water level at Angat Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan has still been receding despite the onset of the rainy season this month, National Water Resources Board executive director Dr. Sevillo David Jr. said Saturday.

"Sa ngayon, kahit nag-uulan... ay sa kasalukuyan ay bumababa pa rin itong Angat Dam," David said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

(For now, even if it has been raining... currently, the water level in Angat Dam is going down.)

"So, sa ngayon, nasa halos 166 meters ‘no, ang level ng Angat Dam. Mababa ‘yan doon sa tinatawag nating minimum operating level na 180 meters ‘no. Halos 14 meters ang baba niya at patuloy siyang bumababa sa ngayon," he added.

(So now, the water level in Angat Dam is at almost 166 meters. That is lower than the minimum operating level of 180 meters. It went down by almost 14 meters and continues to go down.)

"Kaya sa kasalukuyan, ‘yan ‘yung mino-monitor nating maigi (That's why we are currently monitoring this well)," David said.

This has prompted the NWRB to push for water conservation, suspend water release for irrigation, and check on alternative water sources to ensure continued water supply for Metro Manila, he said.

"Pinapaigting natin ngayon ang water conservation (We are advocating for water conservation)," David said, especially after PAGASA declared that El Niño conditions were now present in tropical Pacific.

The El Niño phenomenon is characterized by the abnormal warming of sea surface temperature in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean leading to below normal rainfall.

"Sa kasalukuyan, wala munang releases para sa irrigation at pina-prioritize natin ang tubig para sa Metro Manila dahil sa below 180 (meters) ay kailangan nating i-manage ‘yung supply," he added.

(Currently, there are no releases [of water] for irrigation. We are prioritizing water for Metro Manila because with [Angat Dam's] water level below 180 meters, we need to manage the supply.)

The water supply for irrigation has been suspended since May right after the dry cropping irrigation, the NWRB official added.

"Wala munang releases sa irrigation hanggang hindi nakaka-recover nang maayos ang level ng Angat Dam," he said.

(There would be no releases for irrigation while Angat Dam has not yet recovered.)

David admitted that one of the possible measures that can be taken is to adjust the water allocation for concessionaires.

However, the NWRB and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System have been checking on alternative water resources since March so these could be at full capacity should these be needed, he said.

"Kaya noon pa hong mga March, dahil na rin sa abiso ng PAGASA na posibleng magka-El Niño ay inihanda na natin ‘yung mga posibleng mapagkunan ng karagdagang supply ng tubig gaya ng deep wells na inihanda na rin natin," he said.

(Since March, because of the advisory from PAGASA about the possibility of El Niño, we have been preparing possible water sources that can give additional supply, such as deep wells.)

Aside from deep wells, other alternative water resources include water treatment facilities and Laguna Lake, David said.

The next few days are critical since PAGASA said Tropical Storm Mekkhala is expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), which may draw in the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat), he said.

"Kritikal itong mga susunod na araw kasi nga itong may mga forecast ‘yung PAGASA na may bagyo na parating. Although sa ngayon, hindi projected na tatama sa watershed ng Angat Dam ay tinitingnan natin. Kung minsan kahit hindi siya direktang tatama ay hinihila ‘yung sinasabi nating Habagat na posibleng hilahin nito papunta sa watershed ng Angat," David said.

(According to PAGASA's forecast a tropical storm is coming. Although for now, it is not projected to hit the watershed of Angat Dam, still we are monitoring since it could draw in the Southwest Monsoon.)

Parts of the Visayas and Mindanao will experience scattered rains and thunderstorms on Saturday due to the trough of Tropical Storm Mekkhala, PAGASA said in its early Saturday morning forecast.

The tropical cyclone will be given the local name Francisco once it enters PAR, which is expected between Saturday evening and Sunday morning. —KG, GMA News