Water allocation for irrigation suspended in May

THE National Water Resources Board (NWRB) said it will suspend water allocated to irrigation from Angat Dam starting May 11, cut to prepare for the next crop season.

“In the next few days, the (need for water) for irrigation (has fallen) as almost all our farmers have harvested,” NWRB Director Sevilla D. David, Jr. told reporters by phone.

The NWRB had also cut the water allocation for irrigation for May 1-10 to 10 cubic meters per second (cms) from the previous allocation of 30 cms.

“Umasa po tayo panahon na rin ng pag ulan ’yon at baka hindi na rin ganoon kalaki ang pangangailangan nila sa irigasyon (We can hope that when the rains come the demand for irrigation water won’t be as large),” he said.

Mr. David said that water will again be released for irrigation by the second half of June, which marks the start of the next crop season.

“We need to consider the need for the next year depending on the situation these coming months,” he said.

Angat Dam supplies potable water and energy to Metro Manila and to the 31,000 hectares of farmland in Pampanga and Bulacan. 

The current water level in Angat Dam is 194.65 meters, or 14.65 meters above the minimum operating level of 180 meters.

Last month, the NWRB raised the allocation for the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System to 52 cms from the earlier approved increase of 50 cms. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera