Angat Dam water level drops further

Angat Dam. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / ARNOLD ALMACEN

CITY OF MALOLOS—Water level at the Angat reservoir continues to drop, hitting past its critical level as the rainy season began.

On Sunday, water at the Angat reservoir in Norzagaray town dropped to 170.73 meters above sea level (masl), more than 9 meters below its critical level.

Dam managers said if water level further drops to 160 masl, the power plant that the reservoir feeds would stop operation until water level normalizes.

The water level dropped to the critical level of 180 masl on May 15, forcing Angat Dam operators to stop the release of irrigation supply to farmers in Central Luzon. The dam’s spilling level is 210 masl.

This week, the “White Ladies,” a group of Roman Catholic devotees, will stage a prayer tour of Angat Dam and Ipo Dam for rains and for divine protection so the facilities would not be damaged in case an earthquake strikes.

“The Holy Spirit has ordered us to pray for Angat Dam. This mission is important. It is really the people’s prayers that could stop a strong earthquake. Even strong typhoons also spell danger. At the same time we will also pray for the needed rains to help fill up the Angat Dam,” Fely Santiago, the group’s leader, said on Sunday.

The group will tour by driving through the path of the fault line traversing the cities of Taguig, Pasig, Marikina and Quezon in Metro Manila and Angat and Ipo dams.

Gladys Cruz-Sta. Rita, president of the National Power Corp., which manages the Angat watershed, allowed the group to proceed with the prayer tour.

The waters of Angat Dam serve the irrigation requirements of Central Luzon farmers and is the source of Metro Manila’s potable water supply. Carmela Reyes-Estrope, Inquirer Central Luzon