Duterte says release of water from dams necessary

After the authorities in Marikina and Cagayan threatened to sue the Angat and Magat Dams for causing widespread flooding in their localities, President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday said the release of water from dams is necessary to avoid “catastrophe.”

“It’s a dam, you have to release it. Otherwise, you’ll have a catastrophe,” he said in a briefing in Camarines Sur.

“Every dam in this world, pagka puno na ‘yung tubig ni-re-release talaga ‘yan. Otherwise, magkalat ‘yan. ‘Pag nasira, you have a catastrophe in your hands.”

Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro earlier said the local government would sue the Angat Dam management for failing to inform them beforehand that it was releasing water. 

The Marikina River’s water level reached a high of 22 meters at the height of the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses, while hundreds of residents were forced to move up to their rooftops due to severe flooding.

However, state weather bureau PAGASA said that dams were not to blame for the floods that hit Marikina and Pasig. 

In Cagayan, also another area hard hit by the storm, Governor Manuel Mamba said residents want to sue the Magat Dam management for allegedly causing yearly flooding. 

PAGASA maintained that Cagayan residents were informed ahead of time about the release of water from the Magat Dam. 

The dam’s water level has since dipped to normal levels.  — BM, GMA News