Water levels in Bulacan’s Angat Dam are still falling due to scant rainfall this October, the state weather bureau said yesterday.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), water level in the Bulacan reservoir dropped 0.23 meters to a level of 185.41 meters between Saturday and Sunday.
Though the drop may seem small, PAGASA’s Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section chief Ana Liza Solis told radio station DZBB that only 29mm worth of water flowed into Angat Dam this month, far below the 300mm of rain that was predicted to flow into the reservoir between Oct. 1 and Oct. 25.
Solis said the dam needs 900 to 1,000mm of rainfall to recover to normal levels by the end of the year.
In addition, PAGASA noted that five other dams in the country recorded dips in water levels yesterday, including Ipo (from 100.34 meters to 100.31 meters), La Mesa (77.42 meters to 77.39 meters), Ambuklao (748.99 meters to 748.76 meters), Binga (573.61 meters to 572.88 meters), and Caliraya (286.54 meters to 286.44).
Read: Water service interruption may start on Thursday, Manila Water says
Angat Dam serves as Metro Manila’s main source of water, and its decline in supply has prompted rotational water service interruptions in several cities in Manila. Water provider Manila Water had earlier said that the service interruptions could continue until December should Angat Dam’s water levels fail to rise to 212 meters by year’s end.
Solis meanwhile, urged the public to conserve water and to stock up just enough for daily needs in preparation for the rotational service interruptions that would occur in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
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