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No 'Marikina Dam' exists, says Napocor


To dispel a circulating rumor that a “Marikina Dam" would be releasing water, an official from the state-owned National Power Corporation (Napocor) said Monday that no such dam exists. "Walang ganung dam, at least under us, wala (There is no such dam, at least under us, there is no dam like that)," Alex Palada, division manager of Napocor’s Flood Forecasting and Warning System for Dam Operations, told GMANews.TV in a phone interview. Palada issued the statement after some residents of Marikina became concerned that the effects of tropical storm Ondoy would worsen if the so-called "Marikina Dam" were to release water. Ondoy struck Luzon on Saturday, bringing epic proportions of floodwater in Metro Manila and other parts of provinces in Central Luzon and the Calabarzon regions. As of 6 a.m. Monday, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said the death toll arising from Ondoy has reached 86. The number of fatalities in Marikina City remains unclear: Mayor Maria Lourdes Fernando placed it at 15 although some unofficial reports place it at 58. Palada said Napocor handles the operations of only the Angat, San Roque, Binga-Ambuklao, and Caliraya dams in Luzon. He also said that they have no plans of releasing water from any of the dams they control today. "Wala pa kaming balak mag-open ngayon (We have no plans of opening any of the dams today)," he said. Palada did say, however, that they are still monitoring the Angat Dam in Bulacan which might be in need of water level adjustment. “Hindi natin masasabi mangyayari, baka mag-prerelease tayo bukas (We never know what might happen, we might prerelease tomorrow)," said the Napocor official. The Angat Dam provides 97 percent of the domestic water supply in Metro Manila. It also irrigates about 27,000 hectares of farmlands in Bulacan and facilitates flood control in the province. - GMANews.TV

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