Angat Dam’s water continues to recede

MALOLOS, Philippines — Heavy rain in the past few days failed to improve the water level in Angat Dam, with the elevation decreasing further to more than half a meter below its critical level of 160 meters.

As of 11 a.m. yesterday, Angat’s elevation was 159.46 meters or 54 centimeters below the previous day’s 160 meters, records from the provincial disaster risk reduction and management office showed.

The elevation was 20.54 meters below Angat’s minimum operating level of 180 meters.

The dam needs to maintain the minimum operating level to be able to provide sufficient potable water for Metro Manila households, generate power for the Luzon grid and supply irrigation water to about 25,000 hectares of palay farms in Central Luzon.

Angat first breached its critical level for this year on Wednesday, with dam operators logging an elevation of 159.96 meters.

The elevation improved the following day after the allocation for the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System was reduced from 50 to 48 cubic meters.

The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) has urged the public to conserve water, citing Angat’s receding elevation and the developing El Niño phenomenon.

The NWRB has convened local government units and key national agencies to discuss measures strengthening water security.