Año: Dams should release water before typhoons make landfall

Floodwaters that reached up to 7-foot deep inundated almost the entire city of Tuguegarao between Friday and Saturday. Some residents were trapped on their rooftops waiting for the flood to recede after the Magat Dam released water and rivers overflow due to incessant rains dumped by Typhoon Ulysses and enhanced by the tailend of a cold front. Photo courtesy of David Te

MANILA, Philippines — Dams should release water before typhoons make landfall so that it would no longer contribute to flooding brought about by severe weather disturbances, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año proposed on Sunday.

In a briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte in Cagayan, Año noted that six dams in the region opened their gates which then contributed to the massive flooding being experienced in the area.

“Dapat before the bagyo pwede na tayong magbukas [ng water gate ng dam] lalo na kung mayroon tayong forecast kung gaano kalaki ‘yung ulan na darating,” he said.

(The gates should be open even before typhoons make landfall, especially when there is a forecast on how heavy the rainfall is to be expected.)

He likewise proposed that it should be the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council that should have the authority to control the opening of dams especially when there is a typhoon.

“I will propose na pag-usapan namin sa NDRRMC na sa times ng calamity o typhoon, itong NDRRMC ang magbibigay ng approval kung kailan pwede magbukas, ilang gate, para controlled natin,” Año said.

(I will propose to discuss this with NDRRMC that during times of calamity or typhoons, the NDRRMC will be the one to approve when the gates should be opened and how many gates to be opened, so that we have control over it.)

“Yan ang sinasabi ng ating mga local government units, katulad sa Region IV, III at NCR na nakadagdag talaga ng pagbaha ang pagbubukas ng dam,” he added.

(That is what the local government uniss are saying, that the dams are contributing to the flooding.)

Ulysses, the 21st cyclone to hit the country this year, triggered massive flooding in Metro Manila and in other parts of Luzon.

It likewise caused flooding in the Cagayan Valley, particularly in the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela.

Typhoon Ulysses have so far claimed the lives of 67 people, 22 of which came from Cagayan Valley.

/MUF