Angat Dam to breach minimum level; NWRB to reduce supply for irrigation

With Angat Dam projected to breach its minimum operating level of 180 meters in three days, the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) will be implementing lower water allocation for irrigation in Central Luzon starting May 1 to preserve the supply for Metro Manila’s domestic water requirements during the dry season.

The water level at Angat Dam, which is the main source of 96 percent of Metro Manila’s domestic water requirements and irrigation of about 27,000 hectares of farmlands in Bulacan and Pampanga, continued to decline due to lack of rain and increase in demand.

As of Thursday morning, NWRB Executive Director Sevillo David Jr. said Angat Dam’s water elevation was at 181.15 meters. This is further down by 0.48 meters from 181.63 last Wednesday.

“It is projected to breach the minimum operating level of 180 meters in three days,” David said.

Angat Dam’s normal high water level during the rainy season is 212 meters.

Under the National Water Resources Board’s (NWRB) protocol in the release of water from Angat Dam, water releases for irrigation

needs in Bulacan and Pampanga will be temporarily halted or reduced once the dam's level falls below its 180meter minimum operating level.

In this scenario, the domestic water supply for Metro Manila is prioritized over irrigation and power generation.

“The Board has approved a reduction of allocation for irrigation from an average of 35 cubic meters per second (cms) in April to 10 cubic meters per second in May,” David said.

Meanwhile, NWRB will maintain the 48 cms allocation for the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) for distribution to its concessionaires Maynilad and Manila Water.

David pointed out that the lower water allocation for the National Irrigation Administration “will not have significant impact on irrigation as they (farmlands) are near the harvesting period.”

However, the NWRB official reiterated their call to the public to continue to conserve water amid the continuous decline in Angat Dam’s water level.

Meanwhile, Senator Grace Poe appealed on Thursday to the Manila Water to provide its customers a steady water supply, aside from paying the P1.13billion fine over the water crisis in the east zone of Metro Manila last month.

The chair of the Senate public services committee made the call as she noted that residents in the affected cities supplied by the east zone concessionaire still suffer from water service interruptions, including her.

"Maganda naman na magbabayad sila ng multa, maganda rin na magbibigay sila ng refund, pero ang tanong din naman natin ay hanggang kailan tayo magkakaroon ng water interruption kasi hanggang ngayon meron pa rin ‘yan," (It is good that they are settling the fine, and that they will give a refund; but our question is until when will we have these water interruptions), Poe said in an interview over radio DZMM.

The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) on Wednesday slapped the Manila Water with a P1.13-billion fine for failing its 24/7 service obligation under their concession agreement.

Manila Water said it will abide by the MWSS' decision and pay the amount, which includes the P534-million penalty and another P600 million that will be used, according to the MWSS, to develop a new water source.

But Poe said Manila Water, not the government, should be the one looking for new water sources. (With a report from Vanne P. Terrazola)