Angat Dam water level still below normal

NO RUSHING WATER In a file photo taken in June, the spillway of Angat Damin Norzagaray, Bulacan, remains silent as its water level continues to be below normal due
to lack of rainfall. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

While the water level in Angat Dam had slightly risen at the start of the year, it still fell short of its normal operating level by end of 2019, which meant that reduced water supply in Metro Manila may still persist in the coming months.

As of Thursday morning, the elevation in Angat’s watershed was recorded at 202.6 meters above sea level, up slightly by 0.89 m from the previous day.

The increase had been attributed to the rains brought by Typhoon “Ursula” (international name: Phanfone) at the end of 2019.

However, it was still unable to raise the normal high water operating level to 212 m, which would ensure sufficient water supply for Metro Manila and its adjacent provinces.

Since September last year, the National Water Resources Board has allocated 40 cubic meters per second (cms), or 3,450 million liters per day, of raw water to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, which distributes the supply to private concessionaires Manila Water Co. Inc. and Maynilad Water Services Inc.

This is lower than the normal allocation of 40 cms for domestic use.

Households in Metro Manila had been reeling from rotational water interruptions since the last quarter of 2019.

In March, residents across the metro suffered from bone-dry taps after Angat’s water level breached critical levels.