Pagasa: Harvest rain for household use

With dry taps across Metro Manila and nearby provinces, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) has advised residents to take advantage of the rainfall caused by the southwest monsoon, and harvest rainwater for household use.

“We actually have a lot of water but it goes to waste down our canals,” said Landrico Dalida Jr., Pagasa deputy administrator for operations and services, at a press briefing on Wednesday. “But if we harvest the water, it can somehow help us during the water shortage.”

Despite afternoon and evening rain showers in recent days, the water level in Angat Dam has continued to dip, and was recorded at 158.4 meters above sea level on Wednesday morning, down by 0.34 masl from the previous day and almost two meters below the critical level of 160 meters.

Pagasa weather services chief Esperanza Cayanan said the rainfall caused by the enhanced “habagat,” or southwest monsoon, due to Tropical Depression “Dodong” was still not enough to replenish the dam.

“The heavier rains were recorded in the western part of the country, but Norzagaray, where Angat Dam is located, is in the eastern side of Bulacan,” she said.

Sonia Serrano, Pagasa hydrologist, said at least 365 millimeters of rainfall are needed exactly above the watershed for Angat to reach 180 masl, its minimum operating level.

Dodong, however, is expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility by Wednesday night.

In its 4 p.m. weather bulletin, Pagasa weather specialist Ariel Rojas said Dodong was estimated at 755 kilometers east northeast of Basco, Batanes.

Pagasa is also monitoring two low pressure areas (LPA) that were expected to bring more rains across the country.

One was embedded in the monsoon trough and was spotted 435 km west northwest of Coron, Palawan. Its pull is dividing the monsoon clouds, Rojas explained, lessening the rains above western Luzon.

The other LPA, seen some 1,680 km east of Mindanao, was still outside the Philippine area of responsibility.

In the next few days, cloudy skies with rain showers are expected in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Western Visayas.

By Saturday, the Ilocos region and the Cordillera Administrative Region will also have more rainfall.