Marikina River water level down, but still at Alarm Level 2

Marikina's Public Information Office on Monday morning noted that Marikina River's water level started to go down after it stalled at 17.7 meters by 9 p.m. on Sunday.

While still at Alarm Level 2, the water level in Marikina River went down to 16.2 meters as of 7:30 a.m., 0.3 meters down from 6 a.m. and 0.4 meters down from 5 a.m.

As per the city's code, Marikina City's local government would conduct the following as water levels in the river begin to rise:

• Alarm Level 1 - when water level reaches 15 meters (Warning)
• Alarm Level 2 - when water level reaches 16-17 meters (Prepare)
• Alarm Level 3 - when water level reaches 18 meters (Forced Evacuation)

Some 3,000 families or 14,000 individuals were evacuated on Saturday due to the fast rise of the water level of the Marikina River, similar to that of Tropical Storm Ondoy (Typhoon Ketsana) in 2009.

The water level in the river reached 20.5 meters that day, 2.5 meters shy of the level it reached at the height of Ondoy that killed 700 people and caused damage worth billions of pesos nine years ago.

Classes were suspended in all levels in both public and private schools in Marikina City as early as Sunday due to the monsoon rains enhanced by Tropical Storm Karding.

—Rie Takumi/KG, GMA News