The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) assured the public that there would be no water interruption, instead, they would decrease the water pressure of concessionaires in Metro Manila as a step in managing water consumption amid the continuous downslide of Angat Dam’s reservoir water level (RWL) due to the prevailing El Niño.

“Our customers will not run out of water,” MWSS spokesperson Engr. Patrick Dizon said.

“We will only reduce the strength or pressure of the water. This is our strategy to manage the water that comes from Angat,” he said, adding that it would take effect from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. when water utilization is lower.

NWRB to cut water allocation in Metro Manila

Moreover, as a step toward saving water from the Angat Dam, the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) said that it would reduce the water allocation to Metro Manila to 48 cubic meters per second from the current 50 cubic meters per second.

This will take effect from 16 to 30 April.

“Our rainfall projection from PAGASA is low. So it is below normal only for the Angat watershed,” NWRB Policy and Program Division Chief Engr. Susan Abano said.

“If we don't reduce it, I can say that at the end of the year, we won't be able to have enough water supply for the following year because we haven't reached the level,” she added.

As of writing, the RWL of Angat Dam is 200.57 meters.

It incurred a -0.13 24-hour WL deviation and is -11.43 meters short of its normal high water level of 212.00 meters.

According to the National Irrigation Authority, the said dam supplies raw water to the majority of Metro Manila areas and irrigates about 28,000 hectares of farmland in the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga.