‘Enteng’ raises Angat Dam water level

FLOOD Rains dumped by Tropical Storm“Enteng” caused flood along the MacArthur Highway in Bocaue town, Bulacan province, on Sunday. —CARMELA REYES-ESTROPE

CITY OF MALOLOS, Bulacan, Philippines — Tropical Storm “Enteng” on Sunday spawned rains in most parts of Central and Northern Luzon, raising the water level at Angat Dam in Bulacan province.

At 3:30 p.m., Enteng headed out of the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) and was 730 kilometers northeast of extreme northern Luzon, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

It packed sustained winds of 75 km per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 90 kph.

Pagasa issued gale warnings over the seaboards of the provinces of Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, Batanes, Cagayan, including Babuyan Islands and Isabela. It said sea travel was risky in these areas due to rough to very rough seas.

Higher level

In Bulacan province, intermittent rains dumped by Enteng slightly raised Angat Dam’s water level. As of Sunday morning, the reservoir was at 182.30 meters above sea level, which was .27 m higher than the elevation on Saturday.

The water levels at nearby Ipo and Bustos dams were at 99.23 masl and 16.82 masl, respectively. Both dams catch Angat Dam’s runoff rainwater and water discharges.

In Baguio City, villagers in low-lying areas were asked to evacuate due to the threat of floods and landslides brought by the heavy rains.

—Carmela Reyes-Estrope