malaysiangThe Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) said Wednesday there is a high chance the water level at Angat Dam will reach the target elevation of 210 meters by the end of the year. In a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing, MWSS spokesperson Patrick Dizon said the dam’s water level was at 208.66 meters, which is also nearing the normal water level of 212 meters. These dam elevation projections, he said, indicate that there would be a sufficient supply of water amid the El Niño weather phenomenon. ‘Mga elevation [predictions] na ito give us high confidence na magiging sapat ang supply para maibsan ang banta ng El Niño na expected to last until next year (These elevation predictions give us high confidence that there would be sufficient water supply to mitigate the impact of El Niño, which is expected to last until next year),’ he said. Dizon said rains in the watersheds of Angat Dam helped sustain the elevation, as well as the conservation measures being implemented. MWSS Vice Chairman and Administrator Leonor Cleofas earlier said a team is in charge of mitigating the possible effects of El Niño on water supply in the National Capital Region (NCR) later this year and the first half of next year. ‘Our three concessionaires have laid down programs that will help if ever there will be scarcity of water in our main source of water which is Angat (Dam),’ she said in a press conference during the 19th Asia Water Council Board of Council Meeting. ‘And we’re very happy to announce that currently, the elevation of Angat is very comfortable even compared to last year… Right now, it’s about 209 (meters), 208.8 meters and we are nearing our 210 (meters) normal operation(s) of Angat,’ she said. The 56-year-old Angat Dam covers 90 percent of the consumers’ needs for clean and safe water in the NCR. It also supplies water for the irrigation needs of 25,000 hectares of farmlands in Bulacan and Pampanga.
Source: Philippines News Agency
