Angat Dam water goes below 180-meter low water level

The water of Angat Dam has gone below the 180-meter low water level on Sunday, according to PAGASA.

As of 6 a.m., the dam's water level dropped to 179.97 meters (m) above the sea passing its minimum operating level at 180 m, according to PAGASA.

On Friday, the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) reminded the public to conserve water anticipating Angat Dam’s water to hit the critical level.

The lowest level of water recorded in Angat Dam was in July 2010 at 157.56 meters, also amid the El Niño phenomenon, according to a News TV Live report on Sunday.

For the past 50 years, Metro Manila has been relying heavily on Angat Dam as its main source of water. According to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, Metro Manila gets 96 percent of its water from the dam, 3 percent from Laguna Lake and only 1 percent from deep-well.

The NWRB earlier said the allocation for irrigation coming from Angat Dam will once again be slashed starting May 1 as farmers start to harvest their crops.

The allocation for irrigation will be decreased to 10 cubic meters from the current allocation of 35 cubic meters, NWRB executive director Sevillo David Jr. said. —Joviland Rita/KG, GMA News