No cloud seeding despite receding dam levels
MALOLOS CITY – No cloud-seeding operations are being undertaken in the watershed areas of Angat, Ipo and La Mesa dams, despite the receding water elevation at Angat Dam that is the main source of water supply for Metro Manila residents. This was confirmed to The
STAR by Sevillo David Jr,. executive director of the National Water Resources Board.
In a text message, David said the cloud-seeding operations for the watershed areas were suspended in July. However, he neither confirmed nor denied if there is a move to conduct cloud-seeding to help increase the water elevation of Angat, Ipo and La Mesa dams.
The receding water elevation of Angat Dam made both Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Co. Inc. come out with customer advisories on rotational water service interruptions for Metro Manila residents and nearby provinces starting today.
The provincial disaster risk reduction and management office of Bulacan has monitored the water elevation of Angat Dam as of 8 a.m. yesterday at 186.22 meters, or 25.78 meters below the ideal end-of-year water level of 212 meters. It is also only more than six meters above the dam’s minimum operating level of 180 meters.
Usually, at the 180-meter water elevation level, irrigation supply to Bulacan farmlands is stopped and water is only allocated for Metro Manila’s domestic water use.
With the current water situation at Angat Dam, Larry Ballesteros, provincial manager of the National Irrigation Administration in Bulacan, is apprehensive if there will be water allocation for irrigation to Bulacan farmlands for the coming dry cropping season.
On the other hand, Felix Robles, head of water control and coordinating unit of Bustos Dam, told The STAR that Bulacan’s wet season cropping ends in November while cropping schedule for the dry season starts on Dec. 1.
The water requirements or allocation for irrigation supply will be deliberated by the first week of November, Robles added.
Gloria Carillo, provincial agriculturist of Bulacan, said the province has 32,719.30 hectares of irrigated rice lands that depend on water coming from Angat Dam through Bustos.