Despite a slight increase in the water level of Angat Dam brought about by recent rains, water consumers in Metro Manila will continue to experience water service interruptions.
“Our schedule is still the same,” said Jeric Sevilla, Manila Water Co. Inc. corporate communications officer, noting that customers within their east zone would experience up to 16 hours of service interruptions.
Customers of the west zone served by Maynilad Water Services Inc. will not be spared from the water service interruptions, either.
“To ensure that the limited supply is equitably and efficiently distributed to its customers, Maynilad will be implementing a new schedule of rotational service interruptions beginning June 29,” an advisory from the company said.
Sevillo David Jr., National Water Resources Board executive director, said the water availability for domestic use is still low.
He said some areas would have longer hours of water availability of 10 hours to 16 hours a day.
The water allocation of 36 cubic meters per second for Metro Manila and its nearby provinces would remain, he said.
Under normal conditions at the Angat Dam, the regular allocation is 46 cubic meters per second.
The weather bureau on Monday said it is hoping the water level at Angat Dam would still rise even though Tropical Depression “Egay” has weakened.
Elmer Karingal, the weather bureau’s hydrologist, said as of 6 a.m. Monday, the dam’s water elevation slightly increased to 159.85 meters against Sunday’s 158.64 meters, or by 1.21 meters.
He attributed the “significant” increase of the dam’s level to the monsoon rains spawned by “Egay” in the past few days.
“The tropical depression turned into an LPA (low pressure area) to weaken the southwest monsoon. But based on our rainfall observation, it rained over the Angat watershed, and that rainwater went straight to the Angat Dam reservoir,” he told the Manila Standard.
“Despite ‘Egay’ becoming an LPA, we still expect rainwater from the mountains as well as Angat’s (major) tributaries—Maputi and Talaguio (rivers)—to end up at the reservoirs for another two days,” he said.
The weather bureau’s forecasting division said there would be at least two to three typhoons to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility in July.
Karingal said this may not be enough to raise dam levels to the minimum operating level of 180 meters, but would still help increase the supply of water.
