Angat Dam Water Level Rises 3.7 Meters, Still Below Critical Mark

MALOLOS, Bulacan , Philippines — The water level in Angat Dam has improved by 3.7 meters, although the figure is still below the reservoir’s critical level of 160 meters. Data from the Bulacan disaster risk reduction and management office showed that as of 2 p.m. yesterday, Angat’s elevation increased to 154.56 meters from the previous day’s 150.86. The elevation is still 25.44 meters below Angat’s minimum operating level of 180 meters, and 57.44 below its normal high water level for the rainy season. Earlier, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System advised water districts in Bulacan that the MWSS’ current supply of 260 million liters per day would be reduced to 145 MLD once the water level in Angat Dam dips to 150 meters. Sevillo David Jr., executive director of the National Water Resources Board, confirmed to The STAR that the current approved water allocation for MWSS from Angat Dam is 46 cubic meters per second. The MWSS manages water allocation from Angat for Metro Manila and neighboring provinces as well as from other sources such as deep wells, water treatment plants from the Laguna de Bay, and La Mesa and Ipo dams. Meanwhile, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is monitoring a low-pressure area east of Eastern Visayas. PAGASA said the LPA was last spotted at 1,455 kilometers east of the region. The trough of the LPA is expected to bring cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms over Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Caraga and Davao region. Cagayan Valley and the Cordilleras will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rains and thunderstorms due to the easterlies. The rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms. Afternoon rains in Nueva Vizcaya over the past few days have slightly increased the water levels in three major dams in Northern Luzon, authorities reported yesterday. The National Irrigation Administration said the water level in Magat Dam in Ramon, Isabela increased to 161.10 meters from 160.78 on Friday. Magat’s elevation dipped to 159.92 meters on July 15, which was below the dam’s minimum operating level of 160 meters. Authorities said the drop in the water level in Magat has resulted in fish kills in Aguinaldo, Ifugao; Cordon, Isabela, and Diadi, Nueva Vizcaya. Magat Dam provides irrigation water to 96,000 hectares of palay farms in Isabela, Cagayan and Quirino. Meanwhile, the water level in Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija increased from 175.98 meters on Wednesday to 176.20 meters as of noon yesterday. Pantabangan supplies irrigation water to thousands of hectares of farmlands across Central Luzon. The elevation in Ambuklao Dam in Bokod, Benguet increased slightly from 741.63 meters on Wednesday to 741.71 yesterday or 1.63 meters above its minimum rule curve of 740 meters. These three dams generate power for the Luzon grid.