BY ELLALYN DE VERA-RUIZ
The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) will be reducing water allocations coming from Angat Dam for domestic and irrigation purposes starting Oct. 1, but assured Metro Manila residents that there is enough supply.
“Considering the level of the Angat Dam at around 3 meters below the minimum operating level of 180 meters and to manage relatively low level of the dam, the Board approved the allocation of 44 cubic meters per second (cms) for MWSS (Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System) and 25 cms for NIA (National Irrigation Administration) for the month of October,” NWRB Executive Director Sevillo David Jr. said on Tuesday.
The 44 cms allocation for domestic use and 25 cms for irrigation are slightly lower than the current allocations at 46 cms and 30 cms, respectively, David added.
Angat Dam supplies the domestic water requirements of at least 16.5 million consumers Metro Manila and some parts of Rizal, Laguna, Cavite, and Bulacan; irrigation needs of 28,000 hectares of agricultural land in Bulacan and Pampanga; and hydropower generation from its by-product water releases.
David, however, stressed that Metro Manila and nearby provinces will have sufficient water next month amid Angat Dam’s low water level. (Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz)
