In Bulacan, no flood alert as 3 dams release water

DIFFERENT SITUATION In this photo on July 10, water level at Angat Dam is shown receding during the dry season. More than four months later, the reservoir in Bulacan is nearing its spilling level, prompting dam officials to start a controlled release of water. | DIFFERENT SITUATION In this photo on July 10, water level at Angat Dam is shown receding during the dry season. More than four months later, the reservoir in Bulacan is nearing its spilling level, prompting dam officials to start a controlled release of water.

CITY OF MALOLOS—Days of rains brought by the northeast monsoon and the easterlies prompted authorities to allow the release of water from the three dams in Bulacan province this week.

Bulacan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office head Manuel Lukban said on Saturday that the discharges were all minimal and would not affect or cause any low-lying areas in the province.

Lukban reported that there was also no occurrence of high tide during the water release, which could cause flooding in low-lying areas close to the dams.

Angat dam has been releasing water for three days until Saturday after it breached its 212-meter above sea level (masl) normal water elevation and spilling level.

As of 8 a.m. on Saturday, Angat Dam was at 212.88 masl or .88 meters above the 212-m spilling level and discharged 135 cubic meter per second (cms) of water, based on the data from Philippine Atmospheric and Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

The dam was at 212.60 masl on Thursday when it started releasing 66 cms. Even with the spill, however, the dam level continued to rise at 212.80 masl on Friday and released 61.50 cms.

Ipo Dam, which catches the spill of Angat Dam, also continues to discharge water for three days.

Water for farms

On Saturday, Ipo Dam was at 100.74 meters against its 101.00 meters spilling elevation. It released 144.80 cms, Pagasa data also showed. Previously, the dam released 66 cms on Thursday and 85.60 cms on Friday. Bustos Dam, which has a 17.35-meter spilling level also continued to release waters for the third day.

On Saturday, it was at 15.56 meters and released 160 cms. It was at 14.75 meters on Thursday when it released 40 cms. On Friday, it was at 14.09 meters and released 85.2 cms.

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Bustos Dam, located in lower Bustos town, is a regulatory reservoir facility some 30 km from upper Angat Dam in San Lorenzo in Norzagaray town.

It is managed and operated by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) which supplies the water needs of more than 27,000 hectares of rice farms of 22,000 farmers in 5 towns in Pampanga and 17 towns in Bulacan.

Josephine Salazar, NIA director in Central Luzon, said the farmers are currently not in need of water supply since the wet season cropping from October and November had already been harvested. —CARMELA REYES-ESTROPE INQ