Floods, dams put under closer scrutiny

CITY OF MALOLOS—Officials in Bulacan and Isabela have started to evaluate the floods that crippled their towns in October and early this month.

Bulacan launched on Wednesday a six-month study that would determine the stability and strength of the 43-year-old Angat Dam, a major supplier of water for Metro Manila and irrigation water for Central Luzon farms.

The initiatives were undertaken in the wake of flooding in some areas in Bulacan, Pampanga and Aurora due to the strong rains on Nov. 5 and 6.

Floods have subsided in most villages in Bulacan, particularly in San Miguel town, but more areas have been advised to remain on alert, reports showed.

As of Wednesday, only Barangay Mandile in San Miguel was under 2 feet of water that apparently spilled from the Candaba swamp in Pampanga, said Nigel Lontoc, Central Luzon assistant director of the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD).

Fears of future floods could be eased when the government pursues studies of the dams, said Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado.

Rodolfo German, general manager of the Angat River hydroelectric power plant, said the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities (PSALM) tapped New Zealand-based consultant Tonkin and Taylor, and the Engineering Development Corp., to evaluate the stability of Angat Dam, using a P33-million fund.

The dam is located at Hilltop in Barangay San Lorenzo in Norzagaray,  about 60 km east of Malolos City. At the foot of the Angat reservoir lies Ipo Dam, which discharges water to the La Mesa Dam (Metro Manila’s potable water source), and Bustos Dam, which releases irrigation water to Bulacan and Pampanga farms.

German said the government has reserved P1.6 billion once the study would recommend repairs for Angat Dam.

In a Tuesday summit in Isabela, Gov. Faustino Dy III proposed the construction of at least three more water reservoirs or dams and additional irrigation canals in strategic areas in Isabela to augment Magat Dam’s role in minimizing flooding there.

Dy’s proposal to build new impounding facilities was meant to check the impact of the Cagayan River on low-lying farms of that province.

The summit was organized by the province to finalize action plans drawn up to respond to extreme weather patterns.

Magat Dam officials, who attended the summit, said they have institutionalized water conservation measures in areas serviced by the dam despite the longer monsoon period. Carmela Reyes-Estrope and Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon, and Villamor Visaya Jr., Inquirer Northern Luzon