Maynilad happy over water level rise in Angat

MANILA, July 23 (PNA) – Officials of the Maynilad Water Services Inc. (MWSI) said on Friday they are happy to note the continuous rise of the water level in Angat Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan which will end the shortage experienced by many Metro Manila residents.

MWSI corporate communications head Cherubim Ocampo noted that the water supply is improving and they look forward for the water supply situation to normalize.

Ocampo said they received reports that rains have started to fall on the Angat Dam watershed area. She noted that the reservoir's water level has begun rising, giving hopes to many consumers.

But the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said they are unsure the cloud-seeding operation on Thursday triggered the rains.

Weather forecaster Gener Quitlong said on Friday it may be too early to say the seeded clouds have brought results.

"Not yet, the rain from such clouds may not yet be falling there)," he said when asked if the rains could be attributed to cloud seeding.

Quitlong said their satellite photos showed thick clouds starting to gather above the Angat area, although the clouds are not yet right above the dam.

Cloud-seeding operations were done Thursday amid reservations by PAGASA forecasters that rain from the seeded clouds might not fall on the dam.

For his part, PAGASA hyrdrologist Jun Paz said that as of 6 a.m. Friday, Angat's water level rose to 159.66 meters from 158.60 meters Thursday, a rise of 1.06 meters, but still below the 180-meter critical level.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) said it wants to take over the management of Angat Dam from the National Power Corporation (Napocor) to protect consumers from a repeat of the water supply problem.

"Angat Dam's operational control should be transferred to us for the protection of the consumers," MWSS administrator Macra Cruz said.

The MWSS, with the support of water concessionaires MWSI and Manila Water Company (MWC), is expected to formally ask President Benigno Simeon Aquino III on Friday to be given the authority to take control of Angat Dam from the Napocor.

But MWSI chief operations officer Herbert Consunji said handing over Angat Dam to a private company would also pose a threat to Metro Manila's water supply.

Consunji believes that any winning bidder of the Angat Dam would solely use the water for power generation.

On the other hand, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson, Maynilad's former executive, has blamed the Napocor's "excessive" release of water late last year for the water shortage problem that affected nearly three million Metro Manila residents.

Singson said the Napocor brought down Angat Dam's water level from November to December last year for fear of being blamed again for flash floods in Metro Manila and some northern provinces of Luzon. (PNA)