Angat Dam won’t hit critical level – MWSS

MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System does not expect Angat Dam to hit its critical level of 160 meters even as the water elevation continues to decrease, according to a ranking official of the MWSS.

As of 6 a.m. yesterday, the water level in Angat was down to 188.81 meters from 189.17 the previous day.

Patrick Dizon, chief of the MWSS water and sewerage management department, said that aside from the critical level, concerned government agencies are also monitoring if the reservoir will drop to its minimum operating level of 180 meters.

“We are currently monitoring two elevations of Angat Dam. These are the minimum operating level of 180 meters and the critical level of 160. Based on our projection, it will not reach its critical level of 160 meters,” Dizon said.

He said Angat could still supply the needs of Metro Manila households as the dam’s water remains adequate.

The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) has yet to decide whether to grant a request of the Angat technical working group to maintain the 50 cubic meters allocation for concessionaires Maynilad Water Service Inc. and Manila Water next month, when the weather is expected to become warmer.

Dizon said the daily drop in the water elevation in Angat ranged between 30 and 40 centimeters.

“This is normal during these months as consumption is high during summer, especially since we are experiencing a high heat index,” he said.

Dizon said the MWSS has implemented measures in case the water allocation from Angat would be decreased.

“We have three plants in Laguna de Bay and Rizal. These plants are ready to operate. We rehabilitated more than 100 deep wells after the NWRB banned the operation of groundwater in 2004,” he said.

Environment Undersecretary Carlos David earlier said that if a major drop in Angat’s water level would occur tomorrow, the NWRB would decrease the water allocation by two cubic meters.