The national government is eyeing to diversify its water sources to ensure enough supply of water in the country amid El Niño, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Tuesday, July 11. “One strategy is to diversify our sources of water and not to rely too much on Angat [Dam],” DENR Usec. Carlos David said during a press briefing. Data showed that, as of July 8, the water level in Angat Dam was at 179.99 meters, which is below the 180-meter minimum operating level. When it falls below operating levels, the DENR said the irrigation allocations would be decreased, and supply for the National Capital Region (NCR) and the provinces of Rizal, Cavite, and Bulacan would be at the bare minimum. David said that “there have been a couple of efforts over the last months to increase our sources of water.” He said that the DENR is already utilizing a number of initiatives to diversify its water supplies, including the Kaliwa Dam, which is expected to be operational by 2027 and is included in the agency's “medium-term” goals. In addition to providing temporary fixes like using Laguna de Bay as a water source and purifying wastewater, the DENR official said the government is also working with water concessionaires Manila Water and Maynilad. David stated that the government does not want a repeat of the 2019 El Niño phenomenon, which led Angat's water level to drop to record lows, resulting in a water crisis in the NCR and nearby areas. With the current status of the country’s water supply, the DENR official urged Filipinos to become part of the solution by conserving water at home. “Every drop [of water] that we are able to save through individual efforts, through institutional strategies, actually goes a long way,” said David. Recently, DENR’s Water Resources Management Office (WRMO), through Bulletin No. 2, has expanded the scope of its water conservation order to include all residents of the NCR and nearby provinces. It ordered all barangay officials and condominium and subdivision managers to advise people to save water by reducing activities that require a big amount of water usage, such as watering the yard and automobiles. In WRMO‘s Bulletin No. 1, it alerted all government personnel about Memorandum Circular 22 or MC 22 and the water conservation program for public offices and reminded everyone of the "impending El Niño and potential drought conditions this year." Through MC 22, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. ordered the WRMO to monitor the progress of all agencies towards conserving water through the analysis of their monthly water bills, intending to reduce their consumption by 10 percent.