The water level in Angat Dam is going down further after breaching the critical level at 178.95 meters Tuesday, below the 180-meter minimum required level for normal operations, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said.
The lowest water level recorded in Angat Dam was in July 2010 when it dipped to 157.55 meters.
PAGASA said the dam’s water level is expected to hit 175.5 meters by the end of May.
This developed as west zone water concessionaire Maynilad announced that several barangays in Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, and Cavite will be hit by water service interruptions.
Maynilad said the water interruptions, which will last until May 14, was triggered by an unusual algae proliferation in Laguna Lake, which led to reduced water production in its Putatan water treatment facility.
In March, customers of Manila Water also suffered from water interruptions that led to a P534-million fine slapped against the east zone concessionaire.
The state weather bureau said water supply in Angat and other dams in Luzon could further decline due to the prolonged El Niño phenomenon, which is expected to last until June.
Magat Dam in Isabela posted a 10-meter increase Monday, but it was still five meters short of the dam’s normal water level of 177.45 meters.