The Philippine Online Chronicles

The state weather bureau warned the public on Wednesday that if the long dry spell brought about by the El Niño continues, water levels in major Luzon dams may hit critical low levels by April.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), major dams in Luzon have dropped below normal operational levels due to the ongoing dry spell, and if it does not rain soon, dam waters might reach their all-time low come March or April.

"For Magat Dam in Isabela, the most severely affected dam in the country, the water could drop below record levels in a couple of days,” said Susan Espinueva, officer-in-charge of Pagasa's Meteorological Division.

Espinueva warned that at such critically low levels the dams would not be able to supply water for irrigation and power generation purposes. The Magat Dam supplies hydroelectric power and irrigation to provinces in the Cagayan Valley, namely Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, and parts of Isabela.

As of March 2, water level at the Magat Dam had dropped 26.51 meters below its average level of 183.29 meters.

"Critical na ang Magat Dam talaga. Dahil dito, hindi na mabibigyan ng proper water yung upland agricultural areas,ang mabibigyan na lang, 'yung mga low-lying areas (The water level at the Magat Dam is really critical. Because of this, it may no longer supply water to upland agricultural areas. It would only be able to supply [water] to low-lying areas),” added Espinueva.

Other major dams in Luzon are also experiencing huge drops in their water levels. The Angat Dam in Bulacan has gone down 6.07 meters below its 197.78 average level, while the Ipo Dam, also in Bulacan, went down further with 100.63 meters from 100.75 recorded water level last Monday. The La Mesa Dam in Quezon City was recorded at 79.89 on March 2 from 79.90 on March 1.

The three dams, known collectively as the Angat-Ipo-La Mesa Water System, provides irrigation for Bulacan and Pampanga provinces and supplies potable water to Metro Manila households.

The Binga Dam in Benguet province has dropped 562.55 meters from its average 574 meters. The Ambuklao Dam, also in Benguet, lost 11.72 meters of its normal 752 meters. The water level of the San Roque Dam was also 2.71 meters short of its average 250 meters. Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ejica is 6.14 meters less than its average 202.30 meter levels.

All these current dam levels are “below normal and near critical,” according to Espinueva, adding that the country has not yet even experiencing the full effect of El Niño.

According to Espinueva, the government is looking into implementing cloud seeding to induce rains in case the dry spell rolls on.

Talagang bababa ang tubig, walang ulan eh,” she said. “Gagawan ng paraan 'yan.” (The water levels would definitely go down because it doesn't rain. We will find solutions.)

Apart from the dropping water levels on dams, Pagasa also warned of a hotter summer season – projecting the temperature in some parts of the country to go up to a sweltering 40 degrees Celsius.

"Summer has not set in but the northeast monsoon has started to weaken. We expect the weather to get hotter in March or April, and especially hot in May,” said Nathaniel Cruz, Pagasa weather bureau chief.

In Metro Manila, temperatures may reach 36 to 37 degrees Celsius by April or May, should the lack of rain persist. Pagasa said the temperature in the National Capital Region would range between 22 to 33 degrees Celsius.

Pagasa said Northern Luzon would experience mostly cloudy skies with light rains and isolated thunderstorms. Visayas would have mostly cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers and thunderstorms while the rest of the country would be partly cloudy to at times cloudy with isolated rainshowers and thunderstorms.

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites