Angat Dam elevation surpasses minimum operating level

Angat Dam PHOTO/ Grig C. Montegrande, Philippine Daily Inquirer

CITY OF MALOLOS – The water level at the Angat Dam on Monday surpassed the minimum operating level of 180 meters above sea level (masl) as the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) is poised to release water for irrigation of farms in Bulacan and Pampanga.

At 8 a.m. on Monday, the dam’s elevation reached 180.07 masl due to incessant rains, according to the Bulacan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

On Sunday, the water level was at 179.16 masl compared to 178.37 masl on Saturday.

Felix Robles, head of water control for Bustos Dam operations of NIA, said they are scheduled to release 30 cubic meter per second (cms) of water irrigation on Sept. 1, which is seen to benefit more than 200,000 farmers in Bulacan and Pampanga.

The irrigation water allocation for more than 25,000 hectares of rice farms in 17 towns in Bulacan and four towns in Pampanga was completely cut off on May 16 due to the dam’s depleting stock.

Ildefonso Canquin, president of a farmers group in Bulacan, said the 30 cms water supply will help them increase crop production.