Las Mesa Dam nears spill level; residents near Tullahan River alerted

La Mesa Dam. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Residents near Tullahan river in Quezon City, who are directly affected, have been alerted to evacuate as La Mesa Dam approached red alert level early Monday.

In Philippine Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon’s Facebook page, he said that the reservoir was already at 79.61 meters, a mere 54 centimeters from its spilling level of 80.15 meters,  as of 2 a.m. Monday.

“Residents along Tullahan river are requested to evacuate as elevation is expected to rise further due to rains and minimum demand. Action Centers are requested to enforce evacuation,” Gordon said.

The reservoir supplies potable water to most of Metro Manila.

Water from the dam goes into the Tullahan River, which flows through the northern part of Quezon City, including the Fairview area, as well as the cities of Malabon, Valenzuela, and Caloocan before draining into Manila Bay.