Angat Dam (File Photo)
CITY OF MALOLOS, Bulacan – The water elevation of Angat Dam has risen above its minimum operating level of 180 meters due to rains brought by the southwest monsoon.
Ret. Col. Manuel Lukban, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), said as of 8 a.m. Monday, the water level of Angat Dam was monitored at 180.13 meters as against 179.14 meters on Sunday.
“Dahil na rin ito sa patuloy na pagbuhos ng ulan kaya nadagdagan ang tubig sa dam (This is due to the continuous rains, thus the water level of the dam has increased)," Lukban said in an interview.
He, however, said that the water elevation of the Angat dam is still 31.87 meters below its normal high water level of 212 meters.
Lukban expressed hope that the southwest monsoon could bring much-needed rain to the dam’s water level.
Angat Dam supplies more than 90 percent of Metro Manila's drinking water and contributes to the hydropower supply to the Luzon Grid and irrigation supply to Bulacan and parts of Pampanga's rice lands.
When the water elevation of Angat Dam falls to 180 meters, the dam’s water supply will be reserved for the raw water requirement for Metro Manila while the irrigation and hydropower supplies will be stopped.
Meanwhile, Bustos Dam is still releasing its excess water as of 6 a.m. Monday.
Lukban said that Bustos Dam’s water level is at 17.20 meters and has its Sluice Gates 1 and 2 still raised at one meter high each.
"The dam is releasing a total of 54 cubic meters per second of water on its downstream river system while irrigation water is not being released on its service areas," he added. (PNA)
