Flooding in Pampanga feared to worsen as river swells after Ulysses

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO–The Pampanga River, which drains 30 river systems in Central Luzon, has swelled on the heels of intense rains by Typhoon Ulysses, causing some parts to overflow, data from the Pampanga River Flood Forecasting and Monitoring Center showed.

Even as rains stopped on Friday (Nov. 13), the amount of excess water reached above alert levels in the towns of Zaragoza and Peñaranda in Nueva Ecija and above critical levels in Arayat and Candaba in Pampanga.

Flooding was expected to worsen in the Pampanga towns of Masantol and Macabebe as water flow downstream toward the Manila Bay.

As of Friday, at least 86 villages in Pampanga remained flooded.

Rains dumped by Ulysses have also filled up the Angat Dam reservoir in Bulacan, the main source of drinking water in Metro Manila, with water level rising to 214.20 meters, surpassing by four meters its normal level, according to the regional disaster risk-reduction and management council.

Water at the reservoirs of Ipo and Bustos dams, also in Bulacan, reached near-normal levels at 100.89 meters and 15.68 meters.

Water level in the Pantabangan Dam reservoir in Nueva Ecija reached 200.92 meters, which is 21 meters short of the normal level.

Edited by TSB