The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Board on Friday disclosed that it is closely monitoring the water level of Angat Dam in Bulacan amidst the prevailing hot season.
DENR Secretary Jim Sampulna said members of the agency’s National Water Resources Board’s (NWRB) technical working group involved in the management of water supply from Angat Dam are “keeping a close eye on the dam’s water elevation to avert a looming water crisis with the dry season underway.”
“Through the NWRB, we have already laid down preventive measures such as cloud seeding so that the public, especially those in Metro Manila, is assured of a steady water supply with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
As of April 7, the water elevation in the reservoir slightly rose to 194.15 meters from the lowest elevation of the year at 190.63 meters last April 4.
Sampulna credited the increase to the shear line or tail-end of a cold front and a low-pressure area in the Mindanao.
The widespread rain shower, which was experienced in the majority of Luzon region, is expected to further raise the water level in Angat Dam caused by inflows from runoff water, he noted.
Based on the latest rainfall forecast and Angat Dam’s water level simulation, the lowest water level would reach 183.98 meters in June, but might not breach the minimum operating water level of 180 meters.
The NWRB has approved a water allocation of 50 cubic meters per second (CMS) to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System from April 1 to 15, and five CMS to the National Irrigation Administration from April 1 to April 30.
Although the increase in water elevation slightly improved the current and projected level of the dam, the water level in the dam is still not secured, Sampulna said.