MANILA, Philippines — Almost three-fourths of the province of Pangasinan was flooded Friday after the spillway gates of San Roque Dam were opened to release excess water brought about by intense rainfall from Typhoon “Pepeng” (international codename: Parma).

Heavy flooding occurred mostly in the towns along the Agno River and in low-lying areas.

The Pangasinan government on Thursday urged the “immediate evacuation of families living along the Agno River and in other low-lying areas.”

In a media advisory, provincial administrator Rafael Baraan said the water released from the dam at a rate of 2,500 cubic meters per second, would reach Barangay Carmen in Rosales town after eight hours.

The Agno River is Pangasinan’s major river system, traversing 17 towns and a city, from San Manuel to Lingayen, as it flows from the Cordillera mountains and drains into the Lingayen Gulf.

Tom Valdez, vice president for corporate social responsibility of the San Roque multipurpose project, said on Wednesday that the water level in the dam’s reservoir reached 288.3 meters above sea level (masl), very close to its maximum of 290 masl. With a report from Gabriel Cardinoza, Inquirer Northern Luzon