The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration on Thursday told the public to brace for afternoon and evening rainfall “almost every day,”—an indication of the end of drought and dry spell brought about by the dry season and El Niño phenomenon.
In a dzMM radio interview, Robert Sawi, weather forecasting section chief, attributed the heavy downpour in Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon to a frontal system that had enhanced the moist Luzon area.
“There was heavy rainfall in Luzon, particularly in the north. The rains had helped address the water need. In Metro Manila, the downpour fell into the watershed of La Mesa Dam. The rains helped increased the water (level),” he said.
“As if it was a premonition… an indication that the wet season is already approaching,” he said.
“Expect that almost every day in the evening and in the afternoon that there will be rains,” he added. But Manila Water Corp. said while the recent rains had added a few centimeters to the water level of the La Mesa Dam, it was still not enough to bring levels back to normal.
“We welcome the rains that have been pouring over Metro Manila these past few days. But we cannot rest easy with it,” Jeric Sevilla, group head for Corporate Strategic Affairs at Manila Water, said in a statement.
PAGASA this week monitored two low pressure areas close to the Philippines, one southwest of Ilocos Sur and another east of Cagayan.
According to Sevilla, the rains on Wednesday were not enough to bring the water level back to the regular level of 78 to 79 meters.
“While the heavy rains last night added 10 centimeters to the level of La Mesa Dam, the level of 68.55 meters, as of 5 a.m., May 8, is still way below the critical level of 69 meters,” he said.
“We still need a lot more and continuous days of that much rain for us to refill La Mesa. Secondly, even if we are able to refill La Mesa and we begin to draw water from it again to augment the still-deficient water supply, it is certain that we will encounter water quality issues,” he added.
