Magat Dam to release more water Tuesday afternoon

Weather forecasters on Tuesday warned that the Magat Dam in northern Luzon will release more water in the afternoon in anticipation of heavy rains later in the day. Roy Badilla, assistant weather services chief of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), said the Magat Dam continues to release water through one of its gates at the rate of 197 cubic meter per second (cms) as of Tuesday noon. The Magat Dam is located on the Magat River and sits at the boundary between the municipalities of Alfonso Lista in the province of Ifugao and Ramon in Isabela. Badilla said the amount of water discharge from the dam is expected to increase in a few hours. "Inaasahang lalakas ang discharge ng dam dahil ayon sa forecast ng rainfall medyo lalakas ang rainfall sa area na iyon bandang mamayang hapon," he said in an interview on GMA News TV's Balitanghali.

Locations of major water reservoirs in Luzon. Source: PAGASA

Meanwhile, the Binga Dam in Benguet province has also started releasing water at a "free-flowing" rate. "Ang pumapasok na tubig nilalabas lang din kaagad," Badilla explained. Towns in Isabela that are expected to be affected by the water discharge include Ramon, San Mateo, Aurora, Cabatuan, Luna, Reina Mercedes, Burgos, Naguillan, and Gamu. However, the weather forecaster assured residents living near the rivers and in the affected communities that the water discharge would not pose harm on them. "Sa Magat, napaka-minimal lang po kayang-kayang i-handle ng Magat River ito... Ang discharge ng Binga ay mapupunta lang sa San Roque Dam na mababa pa ang elevation," he said. Over at the Angat Dam in Bulacan, which supplies 97 percent of water in Metro Manila, water level was measured at around 202.71 meters as of Tuesday noon, still way below the spilling level of 210 meters. Badilla said that around 350 millimeters of rain will have to be dumped on the water reservoir before it overflows. — Mark D. Merueñas/KBK, GMA News