STREET UNDER WATER Maysantol-Tibig road in Bulakan town in Bulacan province gets flooded on Sunday following days of monsoon rains that also forced the Ipo, Bustos and Angat Dams to release water. — CARMELA REYES-ESTROPE
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Philippines — More areas in Central Luzon were submerged in up to 5 feet of water on Sunday as days of incessant southwest monsoon rain continued, affecting over 80,000 persons, authorities said.
Pampanga Gov. Dennis Pineda on Sunday advised mayors to carry out forced evacuations in areas where floods have reached critical level.
The number of flooded villages in the province rose from 23 at the height of Typhoon “Fabian” (international name: In-fa) on July 22 to 72 as of Sunday, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC).
The rising waters have affected 18,039 families, or 84,386 residents, in Pampanga, it said.
The number of affected families was projected to rise as more flooded areas were reported in the provinces of Bulacan and Zambales.
Floodwater, as high as 5 ft in some areas, was reported in Pampanga’s towns of Candaba, Masantol, Macabebe, Lubao, Apalit, Guagua, Porac, Sasmuan, Bacolor, Minalin and Sto. Tomas; and this capital city.
Pampanga River overflowed, inundating waterways in Candaba and as far as Zaragoza town in Nueva Ecija province, the PDRRMC said, citing data from the Pampanga River Flood Forecasting Center.
The persistent rains also triggered a landslide at the Apalit riverbanks, and eroded a riverbank of Sapang Balen Creek at Barangay Sta. Rita in Magalang town.
Rising waterways
In Bulacan, almost all 21 towns and cities in the province have been dealing with rising waters, and 303 families (1,076 residents) were evacuated on Sunday as water rose up to 5 ft in some localities due to the week’s rains and high tide, according to its PDRRM office.
The 5-ft floods struck Barangay Bulihan in Malolos City while 3-ft water inundated villages in the towns of Guiguinto and Calumpit. The towns of Paombong, Plaridel, Bocaue, Bulakan, Hagonoy and Obando, and the City of Meycauayan recorded 2-ft-high floodwaters.
SWOLLEN RIVER Firemen monitor the swollen river traversing Mabayuan and Kalaklan villages in Olongapo City as rains continued to hammer Luzon on Sunday. — PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OLONGAPO CITY FIRE STATION
In Olongapo City, an independent city in Zambales province, families living around the river traversing the villages of Mabayuan and Kalaklan were told to prepare to seek higher ground on Sunday morning.
Authorities in Ilocos Norte, meanwhile, said they were preparing to evacuate residents in Bacarra town as the continuous downpour had caused Bislak River to swell.
Dam situation
Ipo Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan, released water at a rate of 38 cubic meters per second to ease pressure on its reservoir, which measured 100.56 meters above sea level. Its spilling level is 101 meters.
Bustos Dam in Bustos town of Bulacan had also been discharging water since Saturday, and had raised the rate of release to 156 cms on Sunday morning when its elevation reached 16.36 masl. Its spilling level is 17 m.
The elevation of Angat Dam in Norzagaray rose by a meter from 185.89 masl on Saturday to 186. 88 m on Sunday.
In Cabanatuan City, the rains brought by Fabian and by the southwest monsoon in the last few days have helped fill up the reservoir in Pantabangan Dam.
As of Saturday, Pantabangan Dam’s elevation was at 182.86 masl, or 38.15 m from its spilling level of 221 m, records showed.