No relief yet for Angat dam

BULAKAN, Bulacan— An hour-long heavy downpour on Wednesday night did not help increase the water level at Angat Dam. The water level, instead, dropped further by about a foot on Thursday.

The downpour started at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday while the dam reservoir elevation was 179.72 meters above sea level (masl). On Thursday, the reading showed that the level dropped to 179.46 masl.

Dam officials said it would have helped if the rains were continuous and confined in the watershed area.

Irrigation was ordered cut on May 15 as the reservoir level dropped to 180 masl due to the intense summer heat. Once reservoir levels hit the lowest manageable elevation, protocols give high priority to Metro Manila consumers and establishments that rely on Angat Dam for potable water, and to the dam’s power generating capacity.

But farmers in Bulacan are hopeful that their situation would ease when the rainy season sets in.