ISABELA DAM HITS LOWEST LEVEL; WATER MARSHALS DEPLOYED
[PHOTO
AT LEFT -
Photo is loading... An employee of the Magat Dam in Isabela
checks the water level, which has dipped to critical levels.
Jonjon Vicencio]
BAYOMBONG, NUEVA VIZCAYA, FEBRUARY 19, 2010 (STAR) By Charlie Lagasca - Cagayan Valley residents are bracing for more blackouts in the coming days amid the worsening drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon that has resulted in the lowest water level recorded this year at the Magat Dam in Isabela.
President Arroyo also warned residents of Metro Manila of a water shortage in the coming months and mobilized concerned agencies to undertake urgent countermeasures to save water in the metropolis, even to prevent power companies from drawing water from Angat Dam in Bulacan for power generation.
Melvin Eugenio, manager of the Magat Dam hydroelectric power plant, said the latest measurement conducted by officials showed that the dam’s water level further dipped to the critical level of 162 meters or just two meters above the 160-meter minimum operational level of the hydroelectric power plant due to absence of rainfall since late last year.
Officials of the Filipino-Norwegian firm SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP) that operates the Magat Dam power plant warned the people that if the water level falls below the 160-meter level, the firm will shut down operations and cut electricity supply to customers.
The Magat Dam generates 350 megawatts of power for the Luzon grid. Its anticipated temporary closure due to the dry spell would create a power shortage in Luzon.
Eugenio said if the dry spell continues, the water level is expected to decrease to the 160-meter level by the middle of March and the power plant will stop operations, leading to more power interruptions in Luzon.
Cagayan Valley’s provinces have been experiencing intermittent blackouts since last month. Nueva Vizcaya and Ifugao would again experience an 11-hour blackout today from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. following last Tuesday’s 11-hour blackout.
Isabela had also experienced an 11-hour power interruption last Wednesday.
Magat Dam’s lowest water level was recorded at 157 meters in 2003. The dam’s normal water level is 180 meters.
The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said that the scheduled blackouts are part of its “annual maintenance and testing” of its power generation and transmission lines in the region.
Alexander Alvarez, district head of the NGCP in Santiago City, said that other power providers took advantage of the scheduled blackout to conduct needed repairs and construction of power lines.
GMA deploys water marshals
President Arroyo directed all government agencies to assign water marshals to undertake water conservation and assessment program and monitor water consumption of their respective offices.
Mrs. Arroyo issued Administrative Order 278 on Feb. 8 that gave specific orders to the Philippine National Police, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), National Irrigation Authority (NIA), and the Departments of Finance (DOF), Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Agriculture (DA), Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) “to mitigate the effect of water shortages.”
All government agencies and instrumentalities shall assign water marshals and shall, using as reference point water consumption in January 2010, submit monthly comparative reports of water consumption to the NWRB.
She said the water level in Angat Dam in Bulacan that supplies water to the metropolis had fallen to an alarming level, which may be aggravated by the El Niño during the first quarter of 2010.
Under the AO, the DENR, with the NWRB, the MWSS, and the Public Information Agency, shall undertake a massive information, education and communication campaign to encourage people to save water.
All local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila through barangay officials shall monitor and report all water leaks and pilferages to the water concessionaires Manila Water Co. and Maynilad Water Services Inc.
The MWSS and its concessionaires shall respond to complaints of water leaks within 24 hours and complete repairs within three to five days after receiving the complaints.
The PNP shall assist the MWSS and the water concessionaires in the enforcement of anti-pilferage measures.
The DTI, in coordination with the DOF, shall grant incentives to companies for the production of goods that conserve water.
The DA, through the NIA, shall terminate or schedule land-soaking activities of the Angat-Maasim River Irrigation System service areas to maximize the use of available water for irrigation.
The Angat hydro-electric plant shall be exempted from power generation.
This developed as Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. proposed the immediate repair of damaged irrigation systems as a quick response to the dry spell that is affecting farmlands nationwide.
Villar said that big irrigation projects that take 10 years to complete are no longer applicable and small irrigation systems that could be built in a short time should instead be given priority to soften the impact of the drought.
Nestor Domenden, director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Ilocos, said the El Niño could spawn toxic red tide, which would contaminate marine resources like shellfish and crabs.
Domenden told The STAR that based on the latest laboratory results issued by BFAR last Tuesday, all types of shellfish in the coastal waters of Region 1, particularly Pangasinan, are still free of red tide.
The laboratory results showed that portions of Dumanquillas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur, Sorsogon Bay in Sorsogon, Bislig Bay in Bislig City, Surigao del Sur and Murcielagos Bay in Zamboanga del Norte, and Misamis Occidental are already positive for red tide. – With Paolo Romero, Jun Elias, Christina Mendez