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Angat Dam's water level rises to over 191 meters; not enough to prepare for El Niño

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt=" Angat dam breaches its minimum operating level at 179.9 masl on July 8, 2023. Gigie Cruz, ABS-CBN News" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/07/17/20230708-angat-dam-179masl-gcs7201.jpg"/><figcaption>Angat dam breaches its minimum operating level at 179.9 masl on July 8, 2023. Gigie Cruz, ABS-CBN News</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA — Angat Dam&#x27;s water level has risen to more than 191 meters due to the continuous rains brought by typhoon Egay and the southwest monsoon or the habagat. Engr. Patrick Dizon, a division manager at the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) said the water levels at Ipo and La Mesa dams have also risen to 101.05 and 79.57, respectively. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/14/23/nonstop-rains-a-blessing-to-ph-dams">Nonstop rains a blessing to PH dams</a></li></ul>&quot;Itong 3 dams na ito, ito ang pinagkukunan ng tubig ng buong Metro Manila, Cavite, Rizal at Bulacan area. So 90 percent ng tubig na ginagamit natin ngayon ay dito nanggagaling sa mga dams na ito,&quot; Dizon said in an interview on Radyo 630, Sunday.&quot;Maganda yung naging epekto ng masamang panahon sa mga dams dito sa Metro Manila,&quot; he added. The official noted that Ipo Dam, in fact, had to release water in the past 2 days. This dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan uses diverted water from Angat Dam. &quot;Ang ginawa natin para i-manage itong pag-ispill na ito ay nag-request tayo na babaan ang nare-receive na tubig from Angat Dam. Nag-request kami sa NWRB na bawasan ito,&quot; he said. The water level at the Angat Dam, however, is not yet enough for the capital region to prepare for the El Niño phenomenon. Dry spells and drought from this period may persist until the <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/23/23/el-nio-may-persist-until-2024-pagasa">first half of 2024</a>, based on projections from PAGASA. &quot;Sa ngayon, yung 191 meter na elevation natin ay hindi pa sapat para ma-surpass natin yung El Niño next year. Ang target namin na year-end... ay nasa 210 [meters]. Dapat 210 to 212 meters. Kaya sa ngayon ay pinapaakyat natin &#x27;yung elevation ng Angat Dam,&quot; he said. &quot;Base naman sa historical elevation ng ating mga dam, sa ganitong mga months August, September ay talagang paakyat &#x27;yung ating mga reservoir. Sa ngayon ay talagang tinitipid natin ang nire-release ng Angat Dam para ma-surpass natin ang El Niño next year,&quot; he said.For PAGASA hydrologist Richard Orendain, he hoped the continuous rains will help increase the water levels in many dams. &quot;Ang ibang dams natin, umaasa lang talaga sa tubig ulan, walang ibang pinagkukuhanan. Yun ang problema natin, kung wala talagang ulan sa mga watersheds ay bababa talaga &#x27;yung lebel ng tubig sa mga dams natin,&quot; said Orendain. Angat Dam’s water level has been in steady decline since March. It recently <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/17/23/angat-dam-reaches-minimum-operating-level">breached </a>its minimum operating level of 180 meters. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/14/23/4-5-storms-needed-to-bring-angat-water-level-to-normal-pagasa">4 to 5 storms needed to bring Angat water level to normal: PAGASA</a></li></ul>PAGASA earlier explained that the country would not immediately feel the impacts of the prevailing El Niño. The habagat will continue to bring above-normal rains over the western section of Luzon for the remainder of the rainy season. Below-normal precipitation will be felt from the last quarter of the year and through next year’s first quarter. <figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2718743" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Angat Dam's water level has risen to more than 191 meters due to the continuous rains brought by super typhoon Egay and the southwest monsoon or the habagat. 