WITH or without a water crisis, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said Metro Manila residents should save water as the water level of Angat dam continues to fall.
"The water situation in Metro Manila remains tight. However, there is no water crisis yet. But with or without water crisis, each one of us should conserve water to avoid shortage in the near future," he said.
"We should immediately repair faucet leaks and drips, recycle our used water…or save water by simply turning off the water while brushing," he added.
Paje said the water level in Angat dam may have reached its critical level, but the supply can still meet the requirements of Metro Manila.
As of yesterday, Angat was at 158.18 meters, or 23.11 meters below normal.
Angat supplies 97 percent of supply of the National Capital Region.
"The NWRB (National Water Resources Board) assured me that even if there are no rains in the area of Angat dam in the next 45 days, water concessionaires can still supply the water needs of its consumers," Paje said.
The NWRB, an attached agency of the DENR, is in charge of allocating water in Angat dam which is being managed by the National Power Corp.
Napocor has closed its hydropower plant in Angat because of the critical level. It suspended its hydropower plant operations after its five auxiliary turbines in the dam started to malfunction last week. It said operations can resume if the water level rises to 160 meters.
NWRB executive director Vicente Paragas said the NWRB’s technical working group on water shortage agreed on Friday to lower domestic water allocation for Metro Manila due to the decline of Angat dam’s water elevation.
He said the cut in water allocation, which was implemented yesterday, has led to water rationing in some high-lying areas of Manila and Quezon City due to lower water pressure.
He said Maynilad and Manila Water consumers will also likely experience shortened hours of water supply.
Angat dam is now using a low-level water outlet which is capable of operating below a 160-meter water level.
Pagasa hydrologist Edgar dela Cruz said rains in the past days were not sufficient enough to replenish the water outflow of the reservoir.
He said the rains did not fall directly on the Angat watershed.
Dela Cruz also said Pagasa expects the Angat level to begin normalizing in September. He said it would not rain hard this month up to August, based on the agency’s forecast.
Expected this month is below-normal rainfall, near normal in August, and heavy rains in September, he said. – Angela Lopez De Leon
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