Metro water supply still normal for now

Metro Manila’s water allocation from Angat Dam in Bulacan province will remain at 42 cubic meters per second (cms) until May 21 when heads of government agencies concerned will decide whether or not to reduce the amount, a National Power Corp. (Napocor) official said on Tuesday.

“We will have the same [supply until the reservoir hits] 170 meters above sea level per initial discussion with the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) director. But Napocor will wait for the NWRB decision,” Napocor president Ma. Gladys Cruz-Sta. Rita told the Inquirer in a telephone interview.

In a statement the other day, Napocor said the dam may reach 170 meters above sea level (masl) after 29 days if the rate of reduction were to average 32 centimeters a day.

As of 8 a.m. on Tuesday, the water elevation at the dam had dropped to 179 masl, just one meter below the critical level of 180 masl.

Since January, Napocor had been releasing 46 cms to Metro Manila until the dry season started in April.

The NWRB is in charge of the water allocation while Napocor operates and manages Angat Dam.

The Napocor, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) are part of the technical working group that gives recommendations to the NWRB.

“Though rains are expected to come by [the end of the month] as per Pagasa’s forecast and Angat Dam can still supply water to Metro Manila even if it reaches 170 masl, [we still call] on the public to conserve and use water wisely,” Napocor said.

At 2 p.m. on Monday, Napocor stopped irrigating some 27,000 hectares of farmlands in Bulacan and Pampanga provinces to prioritize Metro Manila’s need for potable water.

Angat Dam’s lowest water level was recorded in 2010 at 157 masl, way below its minimum operating level of 160 masl for water supply. With Riza T. Olchondra