Residents near upper Pampanga, Agno Rivers warned vs flooding

Residents along upper Pampanga and Agno Rivers should take precautions against possible flooding as the Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija remains open, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Monday. "All residents along the upper Pampanga River and upper Agno River are advised to take precautionary measures and stay tuned to warnings/advisories from (us)," said Pagasa, the lead agency in the Flood Forecasting and Warning System for Dam Operation (FFWSDO), in its 11 a.m. advisory. The Pampanga River is the third largest river in the Philippines which traverses the provinces of Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Tarlac, and Quezon. The Agno River, on the other hand, is the fifth largest river in the country which traverses the Benguet province. Pagasa said that as of 10 a.m., the Pantabangan Dam continues to spill 150 cubic meters per second (cms), with two gates open and a total opening of 3.2 meters. Its reservoir water level (RWL) is now at 220.15 meters above mean sea level (m. AMSL) and is 0.85 meters below the normal level of 221.0 m AMSL. "Although light rains still prevail over the watershed, the Pantabangan Dam spillways will remain open until the inflow into the reservoir will become stable," it said. While the outflow is minimal compared to the carrying capacity of the upper Pampanga River, Pagasa said that areas in the province of Nueva Ecija likely to be affected include Rizal, Bongabon, Gen. Natividad, Palayan City, Cabanatuan City, and Sta. Rosa. Agno River, on the other hand, is regulated by three reservoirs: Ambuklao and Binga Dams in Benguet and the San Roque Dam in Pangasinan. The spillways of Ambuklao and Binga Dams were operated earlier due to the moderate to heavy rains during the passage of typhoon “Pepeng." Need not worry But Alex Palada, division manager of Napocor’s FFWSDO, told GMANews.TV on Monday that residents along the San Roque Dam need not worry of possible flooding. "Walang maaapektuhang community, walang flooding (No community will be affected, there will be no flooding)," said Palada. At present, the RWL of San Roque is at 283.99 m. AMSL, which is 4.01 meters below the normal level of 288.0 meters AMSL. Should San Roque Dam open its spillways, however, the towns likely to be affected in Pangasinan are San Manuel, San Nicolas, Tayug, Sta. Maria, Asingan, Villasis, Alcala, Bautista, Rosales, and Bayambang. Palada thus assured the residents there that Napocor is on alert for any possible changes in the water level of the dam. "Kaya nga tayo nandito sa San Roque para magbantay (That’s why we’re here in San Roque, to stand guard)," he said. At the same time, Palada assured residents along the Angat Dam in Bulacan that they are not in any danger of being flooded any time soon. No major flooding Mariano Dancel, acting head of the National Irrigation Administration’s (NIA) Magat River Integration River Systems, likewise said that the Magat Dam in Isabela has closed its spillways since Pepeng is too far to be able to cause any changes in the dam’s water level. "Nagsara na kami, we are not so much affected (We’ve already closed our gates, because we are not so much affected by Pepeng)," Dancel told GMANews.TV in a separate interview on Monday. Pagasa also said that no major flooding was noted within the target area of Magat Dam which include the towns of Ramon, San Mateo, Aurora, Cabatuan, Luna, Reina Mercedes, Burgos, Naguilian, and Gamu in the province of Isabela. The dams under Napocor (Angat, San Roque, Caliraya, Binga and Ambuklao) were built to generate power. The dams under NIA (Magat and Pantabanga), on the other hand, were built for irrigation. - GMANews.TV