Amid the El Niño phenomenon, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources plans to diversify water sources.
Undersecretary Carlos David, Water Resources Management Office head, urged the public to conserve water, citing that Bulacan’s Angat Dam is already below its minimum operating level at 178.8 meters or slightly below the 180 meters minimum.
The Angat Dam supplies 98 percent of potable water in Metro Manila and its nearby provinces.
“One strategy is to diversify our sources of water, and not to rely too much on Angat. There are a couple of efforts over the last few months to increase our sources of water besides Angat,” he said.
DENR is already employing other strategies in diversifying water sources, including the construction of the Kaliwa Dam, he said.
He added DENR is also adopting short-term water supply augmentation programs, such as using water from Laguna Lake and reprocessing wastewater.
He underscored the importance of water conservation.
“Every drop that we are able to save through individual efforts, through institutional strategies actually goes a long way because while the amount of water in Angat is still sufficient to Metro Manila and all concessionaires. We foresee the El Niño season to be moderate or strong,” he said.
The drought condition due to El Niño may extend until the first of 2024, and its impact is likely to be more extreme than what is expected, he added.
