Napocor: Water from Angat dam not cause of Bulacan floods

The National Power Corporation (Napocor), which operates the Angat Dam in Bulacan, on Friday said the release of water from the reservoir did not trigger the massive flooding in some areas in the province. Dennis Gana, Napocor corporate communications manager, said the floodwater inundating several towns in Bulacan mostly came from Nueva Ecija and Pampanga, and not from the Angat Dam, stressing that the water being released from it is too small compared to floodwaters coming from the two neighboring provinces. "Ang Bulacan ay part ng Pampanga River basin, na isang malaking watershed... about 10,000 square kilometers. Ang water na laman ng reservoir ay about 5 percent lang [of the total water in that watershed]," Gana said.

Latest status of major dams in Luzon from PAGASA.

Gana said the amount of water released by the dam, which spewed out water at a rate of 200 cubic meter per second (cms) at the height of Typhoon Pedring, is considered "minute." "Hindi po ang Angat Dam makakapag-cause ng flooding kasi ang carrying capacity ng Angat River ay napakalaki. Samantalang ang inilalabas naman ng dam ay minute lamang," Gana said. The situation turned dire overnight in coastal Bulacan as floods swamped the province after dams in central Luzon released water in preparation for Tropical Cyclones Quiel and Ramon. Residents in several towns climbed rooftops and called for help as hospital patients were evacuated first. Pampanga coastal towns Apalit and Lubao were also flooded. Bulacan Governor Wilfredo Alvarado blamed the floods to the release of water from the Ipo and Angat dams. 'Take warning seriously' Gana said there was nothing wrong in the protocol being observed by the government and dam managers in the release of water. The problem lies in the compliance of the affected parties. He said they gave out prior notice to local government units that the Napocor will release water from the Angat Dam. "Sana po pag nagbibigay kami ng warning, ite-take nila [affected people] seriously because they have been forewarned," Gana said. He said that even if Angat Dam did not open its water gates, Bulacan would most likely have suffered the same fate of being hit by a deluge due to the sheer volume of water earlier dumped by Typhoon Pedring. Water release to continue With the anticipated rains that incoming Typhoon Quiel will bring to the Philippines, a government official said the release of water from at least six dams in northern and central Luzon would most likely continue for the next several days. "Dahil dito sa parating na bagyong si Typhoon Quiel, medyo asahan natin na dere-deretso pa ang pagpapakawala ng tubig ng mga dam," said Elmer Caringal, a hydrologist from the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. He said Quiel is expected to dump a rainfall at a rate of 15 to 25 millimeters per hour, around the same rate as that of Pedring's rainfall. Both Gana and Caringal said releasing water from the dams even before a typhoon arrives would prevent the reservoirs from getting too full and eventually from collapsing. "Otherwise, magkakaroon tayo ng mas malaking issue na kapag ma-breach ang safety level ng dams ay magkaroon ng structural level," Gana said. — LBG, GMA News