Bustos Dam water level now critical

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Philippines – The water elevation at Bustos Dam in Bulacan also plunged to its critical level on Thursday morning, but the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) said it would still supply irrigation to farmlands in the province and parts of Pampanga.

The dam’s water level, according to the Bulacan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, dipped to 99.66 meters, which is considered critical.

Engineer Prescioso Punzalan said the dam’s water supply has been decreasing by some 10 centimeters per day since the onset of the dry season.

Punzalan said they still have to provide irrigation to 500 hectares of farmlands – 100 hectares in Candaba, Pampanga and 400 hectares in Bulakan, Bulacan – until the end of the month.

Although there was heavy downpour early Wednesday morning, he said the Bustos Dam is still dependent on water released by Angat Dam whose water level continues to dip below the critical level of 180 meters.

As of 6 a.m. Thursday, the water level at Angat Dam had plunged to 177.60 meters.

The Bustos Dam is at present still releasing five cubic meters per second for irrigation, and Punzalan said there is no more inflow of water coming from the mountains due to the hot weather.

The NIA is hoping that by June, there will be more rainfall to replenish the various dams.