Cloud seeding eyed as Angat Dam water level dips

The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) is considering cloud-seeding operations over the Angat Watershed as the dam's water level continues to fall below its minimum operating capacity.

As of 8 a.m. Saturday, the water level at Angat Dam dropped to 178.21 meters, well below its 180-meter minimum operating level and the 210-meter normal high water mark. The dam supplies about 90% of Metro Manila's raw water needs. Officials attribute the alarming decline to lingering dry conditions, extreme heat and the looming threat of the El Niño weather phenomenon. 

To combat the critical water loss, state agencies are preparing tactical meteorological interventions. NWRB Executive Director Sevillo David Jr. said the board is discussing "the viability of cloud-seeding operations over the Angat Watershed" with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). 

Cloud seeding involves dispersing materials, such as sacks of salt, directly into clouds to artificially induce rain that can help replenish the reservoir.

However, David warned that "the receding water of Angat Dam is also expected to be aggravated by the expected El Niño weather phenomenon," which often suppresses the cloud formations needed for successful seeding.

With the reservoir breaching critical lows, the NWRB has slashed water allocations for agriculture to protect the urban supply.

"It is lower than the minimum operating level of 180 meters," David said in a television interview, explaining the need to strictly prioritize domestic water for Metro Manila and neighboring provinces. "Although the situation is manageable, we are in a time that requires careful monitoring and prompt management of the level because it continues to drop." 

Other government contingency measures include authorizing water concessionaires to activate standby deep wells in Metro Manila and fast-tracking the completion of alternative water catchments, such as the Upper Wawa Dam in Rizal.

Meanwhile, local indigenous groups are turning to ancestral and spiritual interventions to combat the drought. Elders of the Dumagat-Remontado tribe performed a traditional rain dance ritual last weekend at the Angat Watershed in Bulacan to summon rainfall.

Jericho Nograles, president and CEO of National Power Corp., acknowledged the cultural effort.

"As in the past, we hope that the ritual and prayers send rains to the watershed and reservoir to help replenish the decreasing water level," Nograles said.