Pantabangan Dam water elevation nearing critical level

CABANATUAN CITY, Philippines – The water elevation at the giant Pantabangan Dam, which irrigates over 100,000 hectares of agricultural lands in three provinces in Central Luzon, dropped to 181 meters yesterday, nearing the critical level, amid the searing heat.

Engineer Josie Salazar, operations manager of the National Irrigations Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (UPRIIS), said the dam’s water level dropped to 181.44 meters as of noon yesterday, lower than the 187.05 meters recorded during the same period last year.

Yesterday’s water level was way below the spilling level of 221 meters and barely 9.44 meters above the critical level of 172 meters. It is projected to go down to 181.19 meters by the end of this month and to 178.3 meters by the end of June.

Salazar attributed the dip in the dam’s water level to climate change, high temperature, and additional area programmed for irrigation.

For this year, Salazar said they have programmed 114,026 hectares for irrigation, up by 2,772 hectares from last year’s 111,254 hectares.

In spite of the dwindling water supply, she said there is nothing to worry about since this is a normal occurrence during this time of the year.

“The dam can manage all irrigated areas until the end of May and farmers are advised to maximize the use of water from the dam,” she said.  

The UPRIIS is the country’s largest national irrigation system administratively supervised by NIA. It operates the World Bank-funded Pantabangan Dam, which irrigates farmlands in Nueva Ecija, San Miguel and San Ildefonso towns in Bulacan, and Arayat town in Pampanga.

The water level at the Masiway, Rizal and Aulo dams located downstream of Pantabangan Dam has also dropped due to the intense heat and lack of rainfall.