The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) is mulling further reduction of current water allocation for Metro Manila consumers as Angat Dam breaches its lowest projected level for June.

Engr. Jorge Estioko, chief water resources development officer of the NWRB, said the actual historical inflow in Angat Dam is only 8 percent at present, contrary to the normal inflow of 70 percent.

Earlier, the NWRB projected that water elevation in Angat Dam is projected at 163 to 164.52 meters by end of June.

The NWRB said the earlier projection is conservative since it is based on a much higher water inflow assumption of 39 percent of normal inflow.

Angat Dam is currently operating beyond critical level of 163.21 meters, or 19.54 meters short of its normal operating level, its lowest level in six years.

The dam's lowest level recorded in history was in July, 1998 with 158 meters.

Estioko said the average water depletion in Angat Dam was 30 centimeters per day this month, faster than the water decline recorded in May.

“Despite the rains pouring down in Metro Manila, it does not fall on watershed area and did not help replenish the water supply of Angat Dam,” Estioko said.

In a board meeting scheduled today (Wednesday), the NWRB will confer with the Departments of Environment and Natural Resources, Justice, and Science and Technology, the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), and Hydraulics Research Center of the University of the Philippines (UP), if there is a need to reduce the current water allocation.

NWRB is currently implementing 35 cubic meters per second (cms) allocation for the domestic water supply of 12 million Metro Manila residents.