Metro Manila, July 7 ----- The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) said it will implement allocation cuts for Metro Manila and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) until the end of July if Angat Dam's water level dips below 180 meters amid El Niño.
"For MWSS (Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System) 48 cubic meters per second (CMS), NIA up to 20 CMS until the end of July," the NWRB said Thursday. "This allocation will still be reviewed based on the development of the level of the dam," it added. These proposals are lower than the allocations set for July, specifically 50 cms for Metro Manila, and 28.5 cms for irrigation in Bulacan and Pampanga.
Water level in Angat has been decreasing for the past five days, according to Oyie Pagulayan, a hydromet city weather specialist at the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). As of 6 a.m. of July 6, Angat's water level was at 180.89 meters — down from 181.22 meters a day earlier. The dam has a normal high water level of 210 meters and its minimum operating level is 180 meters.
PAGASA said up to 14 tropical cyclones are expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility until December. It noted that this is lower than the average number of weather disturbances the country gets during the period and not all of them may pass through Angat Dam. “Ang importante for Angat Dam is ‘yung pag-ulan for the last quarter kasi ito ‘yung talagang significant na nagtataas ng elevation,” Pagulayan explained.
The MWSS has concession deals with Manila Water and Maynilad to supply customers in Metro Manila's east and west zones, as well as nearby provinces. It earlier warned that over 630,000 Maynilad customers may experience water interruptions of up to 10 hours each day. NIA, meanwhile, handles irrigation development and management in the country.
Source: cnnphilippines.com
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