MANILA, Feb. 2 (PNA) — Government assured securing Metro Manila’s water supply amidst the continuing strong El Nino phenomenon but still called for continuous water conservation, aware this drought-driving problem might persist beyond mid-2016.
“Metro Manila water users are assured of continuous domestic and municipal water supply from Angat reservoir even with persistence of El Nino,” National Water Resources Board (NWRB) Executive Director Dr. Sevillo David Jr. said in a press statement released Tuesday (Feb. 2).
For this month, he said NWRB retained the January 2016 Angat water allocation of 42 cubic meters per second (cms) for Metro Manila.
He said NWRB also added three cms to Angat’s January 2016 irrigation water allocation, raising this to 35 cms for February.
NWRB set such allocations, noting rainfall towards 2015’s end helped reserve in Angat Dam recover and even rise by Dec. 31 to almost two meters above the flood season high water level (FSHWL) of 212 meters there.
“Those numbers provided positive projections to Angat’s operational curves,” said NWRB.
State hydrologists noted it is ideal to have Angat’s year-end reserve at the FSHWL so the dam can supply water for irrigation, power and Metro Manila’s needs during the incoming year’s first semester.
NWRB said the public must continue water conservation measures even if assured of stable water supply in forthcoming months, however.
Water conservation is essential as State forecasters warned El Nino’s impacts will be most pronounced around April when the dry season is expected to peak, noted NWRB.
“There’s a possibility that El Nino may extend beyond June 2016,” NWRB further said, citing a warning of State weather agency Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
PAGASA said latest model outputs indicate El Nino will last until mid-2016.
The agency still hasn’t discounted the possibility of El Nino persisting beyond such period.(PNA)
