THE Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) is seeking to keep its April water allocation unchanged at 50 cubic meters per second (cms).
“We just reiterated it in our letter last Friday to maintain the 50 cms for April as the March has been maintained,” Patrick James Dizon, head of the MWSS Angat/Ipo operations management division, told reporters on Monday, referring to a request it sent to the National Water Resources Board.
“We laid out the impact in case (of) a reduction in our allocation,” he said.
He estimated that any reduction could result in water interruptions of less than 12 hours during the nighttime hours between 10 p.m. to 4 or 6 a.m.
Angat Dam is the primary water source for Metro Manila, providing approximately 90% of the capital’s potable water.
As of Monday morning, the water level in Angat Dam was 201.48 meters, down from the 201.70 reading the previous day.
These readings were below the normal high-water level of 212 meters.
Mr. Dizon said that the water level in the reservoir recedes 17-19 centimeters per day.
However, he projected stable water levels for the reservoir, citing forecasts by the government weather service, known as PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration).
“I’m still confident on the refilling of our reservoir based on the forecast of PAGASA of rainfall coming May and June because they said that rainfall over our watersheds will go back to normal,” he said. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera
