Angat water nearing critical level

The water level in Angat Dam is projected to breach the 180-meter critical mark by end of this month, prompting the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to urge the public to conserve water.

As of 2 p.m. yesterday, the National Water Resource Board (NWRB) said the dam’s water level fell to 187.49 meters.

The NWRB’s Jessie Roque said the agency is predicting that the reservoir’s water might go beyond its critical level some two weeks from now at the rate the dam is losing at least a meter of water every three days.

"We are closely monitoring the water level of the Angat Dam. We will hold a meeting with water users next week," he said.

Roque said the meeting will include the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, National Irrigation Administration and National Power Corp.

To conserve water, the DENR suggested that the public recycle and reuse water, check all faucets for leaks, water plants early in the morning or after sunset to minimize water lost due to evaporation, scrape off excess food and scraps from plates before washing and use basins in washing dishes, save the rinsing water for flushing toilets and watering plants, use a glass of water when brushing teeth, avoid the use of bathtubs, and refrain from washing vehicles daily. 

When the Angat Dam breaches the 180-meter critical water level, the NWRB said it could no longer irrigate farmlands in Bulacan and Pampanga. 

The Angat Dam also supplies water to Metro Manila.

The NWRB attributed the dam’s declining water level to below normal rainfall in its watershed due to the current El Niño phenomenon, and the logs and boulders washed down during last year’s typhoons that obstruct the flow of water and the water-regulating structures in the Umiray Tunnel that were destroyed.