Angat Dam water falls below operating level

MALOLOS CITY, Bulacan, Philippines — The water elevation of Angat Dam fell below its minimum operating level of 180 meters, the provincial disaster risk reduction and management office announced.

According to the Bulacan PDRRMO, the dam’s water elevation was at 179.79 meters, or 21 centimeters below its minimum operating level, as of 6 a.m. yesterday.

Angat Dam officials said the structure supplies more than 90 percent of Metro Manila’s potable water requirements and 218 megawatts of hydro power. It also provides irrigation for 25,000 hectares of farmlands in Bulacan and parts of Pampanga.

Sevillo David Jr., National Water Resources Board executive director, told The STAR that if the water in Angat Dam falls below the 180-meter minimum operating level, the water allocation would be automatically reserved for the needs of Metro Manila residents.

David added that the allocation for irrigation would be cut to only five cubic meters per second.

With the projected El Ñiño weather system affecting the country this year, David reminds Metro Manila residents to observe water conservation practices.