Rain fails to increase Angat Dam’s water level

MALOLOS, Philippines — Heavy downpour spawned by the enhanced southwest monsoon in the past few days did not increase the water level in Angat Dam in Bulacan.

As of 8 a.m. yesterday, the water level in Angat was 192.05 meters, down by 20 centimeters from the previous day’s 192.25 meters, according to the provincial disaster risk reduction and management office.

The elevation was 12.05 meters above the dam’s minimum operating level of 180 meters, and 19.95 meters below the reservoir’s normal high water level of 212 meters.

Angat supplies 90 percent of Metro Manila’s potable water needs and provides 218 megawatts of hydropower.

The dam also provides irrigation supply to more than 26,000 hectares of farmlands in Bulacan and parts of Pampanga.

On July 1, the reservoir’s elevation was 194.41 meters, which receded gradually until it reached 192.05 meters yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Bustos Dam, also located in Bulacan and managed by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), has been keeping its rubber gates deflated since the last week of June to continue releasing water.

The reservoir provides irrigation supply to farmlands in Central Luzon.

Manuel Lukban Jr., chief of the provincial disaster risk reduction and management office, said the dam automatically discharges water to a downstream river system when its elevation breaches the 15-meter mark.

The deflated rubber gates allow the dam to release water automatically.

In May, one of Bustos’ rubber gates collapsed.

The collapse of the rubber gate occurred a year and four months after the repair of another gate.

Due to the damaged rubber gate, dam operators lowered the spilling level of Bustos to 15 meters from 17.35 meters previously.

The provincial government, along with officials of the NIA, have been urging the contractor and the supplier to replace the damaged rubber gates.

They said the rubber gates are covered by a warranty.