Cloud seeding fails to normalize water level in Angat

MALOLOS CITY — Despite efforts to stop the fall of Angat Dam’s water level through cloud seeding, officials noted another decline in the reservoir’s water level yesterday.

Officials here of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Office (PDCO) noted a .30 meter-decline in Angat Dam’s water level in a span of 24 hours, from 189.40 meters last Sunday to 189.10 yesterday.

Angat Dam, which is located in the mountainous town of Norzagaray, is Metro Manila’s major source of drinking water and the source of irrigation water for farmlands in Bulacan and Pampanga. 

Raul Agustin, special operations officer of PDCO, said though that this year’s drop in water level was less compared to the decline recorded in same period last year.  The PDCO recorded a drop of .42 meters last year, or from 190.62 meters to 190.20 meters.

With the El Niño phenomenon expected to hit some parts of the country again this year, Bulacan Gov. Josefina Dela Cruz issued orders to the PDCO to constantly monitor the water level in the reservoir.

Dam officials have placed the critical level mark for the Angat Dam at 180 meters. At this level, one of the reservoir’s gates where irrigation water flows, will be shut down, giving farmers another dilemma in the wake of an impending drought.

As it is, agriculture officials in the province have already noted a decline in the production of farm products due to the shortage in irrigation water with the onset of the El Niño phenomenon in some parts of the country.

Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is strongly urging the public to start conserving water now through measures such as water recycling, checking faucets for leaks, watering plants early in the morning and avoiding the use of bath tubs. — James Mananghaya, Katherine Adraneda