(Eagle News) – The water level of seven of the country’s nine dams being monitored by PAGASA continued to drop as of Monday morning, March 11, with one dam, La Mesa, already breaching its critical level.
As of 6 a.m., PAGASA monitoring showed that Angat, Ipo, La Mesa, Binga, San Roque, Pantabangan, and Magat dams have all gone below its level the previous day.
But La Mesa dam, which provides water to 97 percent of the country’s capital, Metro Manila had the most critical drop.
Its water level as of Monday, 6 .m., was recorded at 68.93 meters, which is already below the 69 meter critical level.
Angat dam, however, which also supplies water to La Mesa dam, still has 200.59 meters in water level. This is lower than Sunday’s recorded 200.97 water level, but is still 20 meters above its 180 meter critical level.
Ipo dam had a 101.02 water level down from 101.03 the previous day; Binga dam in Benguet has a 572.95 meters in water level from Sunday’s 573.21 meters; San Roque dam has 265.62 meters in water level down from Sunday’s 265.86 meters; Pantabangan dam has 204.95 meters in water level down from Sunday morning’s 205.21 meters which is still above the 172 meter critical level; and Magat has 169.78 meters in water level down from the previous day’s 170.32 meters.
The El Nino phenomenon continued to affect the country resulting in decline in water levels and drought which is already affecting agriculture in several areas.