Conserve water, public urged as heat, lack of rain drain dams

THE government on Tuesday urged the public — especially Metro Manila residents — to conserve water as dam levels continue to drop due to the impact of the El Niño phenomenon and the dry season.

El Niño Task Force spokesman, Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary Joey Villarama, said that while Metro Manila was not yet experiencing a water crisis, the water level of Angat Dam, which supplies more than 90 percent of Metro Manila’s potable water needs, could drop further because of increased consumption, lack of rainfall and evaporation due to the heat.

“For now, we don’t see that there will be a problem or that the Angat Dam will drop below the critical level of 180 meters, but as the temperature gets warmer, the household consumption increases, and of course, if we factor in the evaporation and lack of rainfall, there is a possibility that it will decrease,” Villarama told reporters.

He assured the public that contingency measures were in place to ensure that there would be no water interruption.

In Metro