Gov’t action, plan sought for Metro, Luzon water supply woes

An administration lawmaker has called for a congressional inquiry to determine courses of action government must take to address the continuous drop in supply of water and energy to Metro Manila as a result of the long dry season.

In House Resolution No. 2118, Bulacan Rep. Gavini Pancho said contingency plans should be implemented to counter the negative effects of the steady drop in the Angat Dam water levels.

Pancho said farmers and their families are the first victims of long dry spells because agriculture is least prioritized compared to water supply needs for Metro Manila and adjacent localities.

Batangas Rep. Mark Llandro L. Mendoza, chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, vowed to immediately look into the issue.

No comprehensive plan Both Pancho and Mendoza lamented that there remains no contingency plans of concerned government agencies to address the declining Angat Dam water levels despite the onset of the rainy season.

“There has been no declaration regarding a concrete program or course of action by cognizant agencies of our national government namely, the National Irrigation Authority (NIA), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), the National Power Corporation (Napocor), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to address and mitigate the impact of the dwindling water levels of the Angat Dam,” said Pancho.

Pancho, a vice chairman of the Committee on Cooperatives Development, said the continued fall of the Angat Dam’s water capacity beyond its minimum operating level will severely affect the continued supply of energy and 97 percent of Metro Manila’s domestic water needs.

Angat Dam is the prime source of water for Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite and Rizal. It also supplies energy and at the same time is relied upon for irrigation in large parts of Central Luzon.

Water level alert Reports have indicated that the dam is close to breaching the 180-meter above sea level (masl) minimum operating level due to lack of rain over the Bulacan watershed.

“Stopping the water releases for irrigation will drastically affect the livelihood and welfare of the farmers and their families who are considered among the poorest and most vulnerable sector of our society,” said Pancho.

He said Angat River is the largest and most important source of water for the region because through the Angat Dam, it supplies water for Metro Manila’s 12 million residents, provides irrigation water to 26,791 hectares of farmlands in Pampanga and Bulacan provinces, flood control for downstream municipalities, and 10 percent of the country’s hydroelectricity.