Bulacan dam operators cautioned on releasing water

MALOLOS CITY, Philippines  – Major dam operators in Bulacan have been asked to be more cautious when releasing water from the Angat River to prevent loss of lives and damage to properties.

Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado held a dialogue with the operators of the Angat, Ipo and Bustos dams in the province and discussed the impact of the water reservoirs’ operations to about 1.5 million Bulakenyos last Friday.

The dangers of aging dams were also tackled during the meeting.

As a response, dam operators vowed to install additional rain gauges in watersheds in the eastern part of the province as well as closed circuit television (CCTV) system along the Angat River.

The provincial government also asked dam operators to constantly give local officials status updates on the dams.

Angat Dam is operated by the National Power Corp. while the Ipo Dam is operated by the concessionaires of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System which formed the Common Purpose Facilities Inc. The Bustos Dam, on the other hand, is managed by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).

“We don’t want a repeat of the floods spawned by typhoons ‘Pedring’ and ‘Quiel’ last year,” Alvarado said, adding that the flooding was aggravated by water from the dams.

He noted that lack of coordination among dam operators left the towns of Hagonoy, Calumpit, Pulilan, Paombong, and parts of Malolos City flooded last year.

“They are releasing water in the same river, and yet, they don’t even know the telephone number of each other which made coordination impossible,” the governor said.

Liz Mungcal, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Office, said rain gauges are helpful in flood forecasting and warning.

Mungcal also reminded dam operators to consider the situation in coastal areas before releasing water.

Meanwhile, Felix Robles, officer-in-charge of the Water Coordination and Control Unit of the National Irrigation Administration, said replacing the rubber gates of Bustos Dam will cost the government some P1 billion.

Robles explained that weather conditions in the country has reduced the lifespan of the dam’s rubber gates.

“It’s supposed to last for 30 years, but experts from Bridgestone Corp. said that high humidity and hot weather condition has reduced that to half,” he said.

Robles said the dam’s rubber gates may burst anytime.

Alvarado called on the Department of Agriculture and the NIA for the urgent rehabilitation of the dam.