Pantabangan dam almost filled up

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — After months of water shortage fears in Metro Manila, the Pantabangan dam has finally been filled up almost to its "storage capacity" that might even prompt government engineers to release some waters to reduce its rising level.

Engineer Carlito Gapasin, chief of the operations and institutional development division of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) told The Star yesterday that the recent heavy rains, which triggered severe floodings in Central Luzon, have raised the water elevation of the Pantabangan dam to 209.6 meters. The dam is the major source of potable water of Metro Manila. It’s storage level is 212 meters, he noted.

Since last year, the government has urged water conservation in Metro Manila because of the low water level in Pantabangan. Earlier this year, the NIA also cut off irrigation water to some 85,000 hectares of ricelands in Nueva Ecija and parts of Bulacan and Pampanga to give priority to Metro Manila’s water supply.

"This is the first time in years that the Pantabangan dam’s water level reached 209.6 meters. The last time that it reached about the same level was way back in 1976," Gapasin said. — Ding Cervantes