La Mesa dam nears critical level — Pagasa
Credit to Author: DIVINA NOVA JOY DELA CRUZ| Date: Sun, 10 Mar 2019 07:56:07 +0000
THE reserves of La Mesa dam, which supplies water in Metro Manila, may breach the critical level of 69 meters on Monday, the state weather bureau said.
As of Sunday, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical, Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) recorded La Mesa’s water level at 69.02 meters only 0.02 meters away from reaching the 69-meter critical low set by the Manila Water Company (MWC).
“Based on daily deduction, almost expected na talagang bababa ng below 69 [meters] (that it will reach below 69 meters),” Pagasa hydrologist Jayson Bausa told The Manila Times.
Bausa said that with the current low levels, continuing water interruptions were expected because of lower water pressure and the ongoing implementation of conservation measures of the concessionaires.
“The impact may be they may have interruption in the water distribution because of the limitations of water in La Mesa,” Bausa said.
The MWC has started implementing water interruptions since last week to counter the declining water level of the dam.
“In light of Pagasa’s recent El Niño advisory and its threat to Metro Manila’s domestic water supply, Manila Water will be implementing operational adjustments that may affect water service across the entire East Zone,” the MWC said in an advisory on Thursday.
The MWC advised of low pressure to no water during peak demand hours in some areas in the cities of Marikina, Pasig, Quezon City, Taguig, Mandaluyong, San Juan, and Antipolo, Angono, Binangonan, San Mateo, Rodriguez, Taytay, and Jalajala in Rizal.
La Mesa dam’s current water level is way lower than the 76.30 meters on the same date last year. Bausa said that Angat dam would continue to supply 97 percent of La Mesa dam’s reserves.
“Tuloy-tuloy pa rin naman ang pag-supply nya ng tubig hangga‘t may stored water (Angat dam will continue to supply from La Mesa dam as long as it has stored water),” Bausa said.
Angat dam is also experiencing declining water levels with a 200.97-meter water reserve on Sunday, still a 20.97-meter high from reaching critical level. Bausa said that without sustained rainfall, it may take two to three months before Angat dam would reach a critical low.
Bausa is, however, optimistic that with the rainy season from May to June, water levels may still be normalized.
“Siguro yung Angat [dam] kung bababa sana yung consumption, baka umabot sya ng tag-ulan kung may tag-ulan na ng May (If consumption is reduced, maybe it can last until the rainy season, if the rainy season starts in May),” Bausa said.
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