Benguet dams start water release as rain continues

DAGUPAN CITY, Pangasinan, Philippines — Two dams in the upstream of the Agno River in Benguet province opened its spillway gates and have been spilling water into the river since Saturday as moderate to heavy rain continued to pour in parts of the Cordillera region, a dam official said on Monday.

Virgilio Garcia, hydrologist of the National Power Corp., said the Binga Dam opened a spillway gate at a height of 2 meters at 4 a.m. on Saturday, while Ambuklao Dam raised its spillway gate to 1.5 m high at 12 a.m. on Sunday.

Water released from Ambuklao Dam flows to the Binga Dam, whose excess water is caught downstream by the San Roque Dam in San Manuel town in Pangasinan.

Garcia could not say how long the two dams would spill water. At 8 a.m. Monday, Ambuklao’s reservoir was at 751.79 meters above sea level (masl), while Binga was at 574.3 masl.

Ambuklao has a maximum level of 752 masl, while Binga’s maximum level is 575 masl.

Garcia said the water elevation at the San Roque Dam was at 241.13 masl, which was 38.87 m below its spilling level of 280 masl.

Water from the San Roque Dam is deposited in a re-regulating pond, which the National Irrigation Administration releases for irrigation.

On Monday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said (PAGASA) said the habagat (southwest monsoon) would bring rains over provinces in the Ilocos region and Zambales province.

The weather bureau asked residents in these areas to be alert against possible flashfloods and landslides.

In Bulacan, the sun was up on Monday but rain induced by the habagat (southwest monsoon) and those dumped by Typhoon “Falcon” and  Tropical Storm “Egay” last week raised by more than 6 meters the water elevation in Angat Dam.

Water level at the Angat reservoir at 1 p.m. Monday was recorded at 175.1 masl, an improvement to the 169 masl recorded before the heavy downpour came on July 3.

On Monday, the Pangasinan provincial disaster risk reduction and management office (PDRRMO) said at least seven villages in the towns of Sta. Barbara and Calasiao had been flooded due to rain since last week.

These are the villages of Sonquil and Dalongue in Sta. Barbara and the villages of Talibaew, Banaoang, San Vicente, Longos and Lasip in Calasiao.

Avenix Arenas, PDRRMO spokesperson, said a 15-year-old boy drowned in Barangay Ambuetel in Calasiao on July 10.

The boy’s death brought to three the total number of deaths in Pangasinan since “Egay” and “Falcon” began dumping rain in the province on July 4.

In Zambales, the body of a man who was reported missing and believed to have drowned last week at the height of monsoon rains was found in Barangay Amungan in Iba town on Sunday afternoon, local officials said.

Julius Abegania Sr., chair of Barangay La Paz village in San Narciso town, said residents of Barangay Amungan in Iba found the body of Rensy Catubay, 18, in the village’s shoreline.

Catubay, a resident of Barangay Consuelo Norte of San Marcelino town, was reported missing after swimming in a public beach in San Narciso town on July 9 despite the bad weather.