Angat Dam water level drops over 1 meter in 11 days

CITY OF MALOLOS — Water elevation at Angat Dam has dropped by more than a meter in 11 days, from 208.88 meters above sea level in the last week of September to 207.84 masl on Thursday, Oct. 8, according to data from the Bulacan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office.

The decline comes as the government prepares for the worst impacts of this year’s El Niño.

The 208.88 masl record on Sept. 27 was the highest elevation reached at the Angat reservoir following weeks of rain brought by strong typhoons Luis and Maymay, other tropical depressions, and the southwest monsoon from July to September.

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READ: El Niño places 106 areas under state of calamity

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However, the typhoons and the southwest monsoon were still insufficient to completely replenish the dam, with its elevation still two meters short of Angat’s normal high water elevation of 210 masl.

Heavy rains contributed 58.33 meters of water to the reservoir after Angat Dam recorded its historically lowest elevation of 150.55 masl on July 26.

The hot weather and corresponding high heat index during the first two quarters of the year helped deplete the Angat reservoir.

Angat Dam supplies Metro Manila’s domestic water requirement, generates hydroelectricity, is the source of the Bulacan Bulk Water Project System, and provides irrigation for Central Luzon farms.

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Gov. Daniel Fernando on Thursday formed the Bulacan El Niño Task Force to study the possible effects on the province.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, the El Niño is expected to intensify into a “very strong El Niño” between the September-December 2026 season and persist through the first half of 2027. /mcm