(Eagle News) – The strong rains in Metro Manila the past few days had benefited La Mesa Dam which now has a water level that has gone above the critical level mark of 69 meters as of 6 a.m. Tuesday, June 25.
The La Mesa Dam water level was recorded at 69.20 meters from Monday’s 68.66 meters. In just 24 hours, the water level in La Mesa Dam in Quezon City had an additional of 58 centimeters of rainwater.
But Angat Dam in Bulacan continued to go below the 160 meter critical level as of Tuesday, June 25, as the heavy rains that poured in Metro Manila failed to reach this critical water reservoir.
Angat Dam had only 158.77 meters, down by 32 centimeters from Monday morning’s 159.09 meters. This was already the fourth consecutive day of decline below the 160 meters critical level.
The National Water Resources Board said that at least two strong tropical cyclones that would affect the Angat dam and watershed area are needed so that it would go back to its normal operating water level. Its normal high water level is pegged at 210 meters, while the normal high water level for La Mesa dam is 80.15 meters.
-Ipo Dam water level also declining-
Ipo Dam, another source of water for Metro Manila, had likewise gone down to 99.67n meters from Monday’s 99.81 meters. Its normal water level is 101 meters.
The dam is located about 7.5 kilometers downstream of the Angat Dam.
Water from the dam is diverted to the Novaliches Portal and the La Mesa Dam through three intake structures going down to three connecting tunnels into five connecting aqueducts.
According to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, the main sources of Metro Manila’s water supply are the Angat, Ipo, and La Mesa Dams.
The water from these dams are then processed by the La Mesa and Balara Treatment Plants, which converts it from a raw state to clean and potable water.
“The water from the Angat Dam, the major supply source for the metropolis, is funneled directly to Ipo Dam. It then flows a distance of 6.4 kilometers to Bicti, after which it passes through five aqueducts—each about 16 kilometers long—to the La Mesa Dam and the La Mesa Portal. From the La Mesa Portal, 60% of the flow goes to the nearby La Mesa Treatment Plant, out of which another 40% again travels a distance of 6.8 kilometers to the Balara Treatment Plant,” the MWSS explained in its website.
“When both Balara and La Mesa Treatment Plants are operation, the total processing capacity will be 4,000 mld. The La Mesa Water Treatment Plant serves the western half of Metro Manila, while the existing Balara Water Treatment Plant supplies the eastern half,” it added.
