Water level in Angat Dam, the reservoir that supplies Metro Manila and nearby provinces with water, has been plunging daily since the start of October. As of 1 p.m. Saturday, the elevation level of Angat Dam was 187.26 meters.
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Hydrologist Richard Orendain of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said this in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, heard nationwide.
The last time when the dam experienced a rise in its levels due to rainfall, according to Orendain, was during the first two days of October.
“We need at least 212 meters at the end of the year in preparation for the dry season next year,” he said in Filipino.
Angat is the reservoir which supplies about 90 percent of raw water requirements for Metro Manila through the facilities of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System and it irrigates about 28,000 hectares of farmland in Bulacan and Pampanga.
The dam is 131 meters high and impounds water from the Angat River that subsequently created the Angat Lake.
Angat Dam has a normal high water level of 210 meters, according to the Pagasa.
It has three gates opening a total of 1.5 meters to gradually release water that had accumulated due to incessant rains during typhoons.
Orendain, who advised the public to conserve and recycle water, added the projected level by the end of October should be 200 meters.
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