‘No water interruption until April 30’

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has assured Metro Manila residents of uninterrupted water supply until April 30 after the plan to decrease the water allocation starting April 16 was shelved as the water level in Angat Dam remained above 195 meters yesterday.

In a recent radio interview, Environment Undersecretary Carlos David said the DENR and its attached agency, the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), have agreed that if the water elevation of Angat Dam will not breach 195 meters, the 50 cubic meters per second (cms) will be maintained until April 30.

“We have what we call a ‘checkpoint’ in the water level of Angat Dam as of April 10. If it is higher than 195 (meters), we will not decrease the water allocation; if it reaches below 195, we will decrease (water allocation for Metro Manila),” David added.

The NWRB manages the allocation of water from Angat Dam, which supplies more than 90 percent of Metro Manila’s potable water needs and provides for the irrigation needs of 25,000 hectares of farmlands in Bulacan and Pampanga.

As of 6 a.m. yesterday, the water level of Angat Dam was 195.85 meters or still 0.85 meters above the elevation set by the DENR and NWRB.

David explained that the NWRB reviews the water elevation of Angat Dam every 15 days.

“We have a checkpoint every 15 days. We just would like to ask Metro Manila residents to do their part in water conservation,” he said.

The DENR official noted that efforts are being made to preserve the elevation of Angat Dam.

“Although, many did not notice, during the Holy Week, we decreased the allocation as most Metro Manila residents were outside of the city. We decreased (the water allocation from Angat Dam) by one cubic meter per second and aside from this, we also decreased the water pressure at night and at dawn. The water supply was not affected, but this is part of the conservation measures of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS),” he said.

A huge water leak occurred along South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) during Holy Week and concerned government agencies decided to immediately repair it despite the absence of necessary permits, according to