CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Rains in the past week did little to increase the water level of Angat Dam, according to latest data from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
As of May 12, the water level of Angat Dam decreased to 193.30 meters or 0.25 meters less compared to its previous level of 193.55 meters on Wednesday morning.
The dam’s normal water level is 212 meters while its critical level for drinking water is 160 meters.
Angat Dam supplies 90 percent of the domestic water supply of Metro Manila.
It also supplies irrigation to 20,000 hectares of farmland in Bulacan while 2,000 hectares of Pampanga’s farmlands in Candaba and border lands of San Luis and Santa Ana also get their water supply from the dam.
Angat Dam reached its lowest level at 157.76 meters in July 2010, an El Niño year. This incident prompted authorities to temporarily stop operations.
Located in Barangay San Lorenzo (Hilltop) in Norzagaray, Bulacan, the dam also powers the Angat hydroelectric power plant.
The 131-meter-high dam impounds water from the Angat River that forms the greater Angat Lake.
Five other dams in Luzon also recorded a drop in water level.
The water levels of La Mesa Dam in Quezon City also dropped to 76.82 meters from its previous level of 76.83 meters or 0.01 meters less; San Roque Dam in Pangasinan, 231.58 meters from the previous 231.75 meters or 0.17 meters less; Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija, 181.14 meters from the previous 181.26 meters or reduction of 0.12 meters; Magat Dam in Isabela, 178.13 meters compared to 178.20 meters or 0.07 meters less; and Caliraya Dam in Laguna, 286.45 meters compared to 286.58 meters or a reduction of 0.13 meters.