The Angat Dam recorded 151.45 meters above sea level (masl) on Thursday, July 23, dipping further below the 160-meter critical water level threshold, the state weather bureau reported.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), the reservoir fell 0.67 meters from Wednesday’s 152.12 masl.
The Angat Dam’s water level also declined on Tuesday, plummeting to 152.20 masl from Monday’s 152.53 masl.
The normal high water level of Angat Dam is around 210 masl, with a minimum operating level of 180 masl.
Previously, Pagasa said during a climate forum last June that the reservoir would start to replenish by the second to third week of July due to the southwest monsoon rains.
The National Irrigation Administration Irrigation Management Office in Bulacan said farmlands in Pampanga and Bulacan are heavily dependent on rain water due to the state of the water level of Angat Dam, the critical watershed of the National Capital Region (NCR).
Moderate to heavy rainfall is expected to prevail over parts of the NCR on Thursday due to the southwest monsoon, or habagat, according to Pagasa’s 5 a.m weather bulletin