MWSS mulls water pressure reduction

Dizon said that during the rainy season in the last part of 2023, the MWSS requested the NWRB to increase the Angat Dam’s NWHL to 214.00 meters

The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System on Sunday disclosed that it is considering to decrease the water pressure of concessionaires in Metro Manila as a step in saving the continuous downtrend of the water level of Angat Dam caused by the ongoing El Niño.

MWSS spokesperson Engr. Patrick Dizon said that they already had a discussion with officials from the National Water Resources Board if they can make a monthly or three-month allocation of MWSS to mitigate the effects of the phenomenon.

“One of our options to reduce the consumption of our customers and to save our elevation in Angat Dam is that we need to reduce the pressure,” Dizon said.

Latest monitoring from state weather bureau PAGASA showed that currently, the reservoir WL of Angat Dam is 201.70 meters, -10.30 meters short of its normal high water level of 212.00 meters.

“In this case, in this month, the elevation of our reservoirs will really decrease,” Dizon said, adding that its WL drop is estimated to be 17 centimeters per day. “Whether it’s El Niño or La Niña, our elevation is really declining.”

He also disclosed that during the rainy season in the last part of 2023, the MWSS requested the NWRB to increase the Angat Dam’s NWHL to 214.00 meters.

“The additional two meters of buffer in our reservoir is the one we will use, so our elevation is still high for this summer,” Dizon said.

The MWSS official further explained that the minimum operating level of Angat Dam is approximately 180 meters, and when it is below the said level, the supply to irrigation will be minimal.

“Our Angat Dam is a multi-purpose dam, so its uses are the domestic water supply for Metro Manila and the irrigation in Bulacan,” Dizon said. “That is what we are avoiding: that our reservoir elevation falls to 180 meters because, by that time, only minimal water will be released in our irrigation.”

Dizon said that in the case of a water interruption, it will be concentrated in the evening or from 8 p.m. or 10 p.m. until 4 a.m.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOEY SANCHEZ MENDOZA FOR THE DAILY TRIBUNE @tribunephl_joey WHITE and red onions are being sold along the sidewalk of Tirona Highway in Bacoor, Cavite on Sunday morning. The onions are sold at P50 per kilo.