Group questions San Roque Dam’s flood control capability

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – A group on Wednesday questioned the flood control capability of the San Roque Dam in Pangasinan, which is supposed to have been designed to provide protection against flooding for 100 years. Dr. Giovanni Tapang, chairman of Advocates for Science and Technology for the People or Agham, on Wednesday said, "If the dam was designed for flood control, then there should have been an alarm system in place or a protocol to warn the agencies and communities of impending disaster." He added that based on the testimonies of the victims of flooding in Pangasinan, the supposed system against floods was ineffective, if there was any. The recent massive flooding caused by typhoon “Pepeng" (Parma) in the provinces of Pangasinan and Tarlac has belied the supposed flood-control capacity of the biggest dam along Agno River – the two others being Binga Dam in Itogon, Benguet, and Ambuklao Dam in Bokod, Benguet. Tapang added that the severe flooding in Pangasinan was caused and aggravated by the release of voluminous water from the three dams. Tapang’s group has joined the outcry to hold the operators of San Roque Dam liable for the flooding. The dam is located in the towns of San Manuel and San Nicolas in Pangasinan. Citing data from the National Power Corporation (Napocor), Agham said that a total maximum of 6,000 cubic meters per second were released by the three dams as of October 9. The extensive destruction to property and loss of lives has driven environmental activists and militant groups to call for the hydroelectric dam’s decommissioning, with provincial officials of Pangasinan seeking to file a lawsuit against dam officials. Passing on the blame Amid impending lawsuits coming from the provincial government of Pangasinan and sectoral groups, Tommy Valdez, vice president of the management of San Roque Power Corporation (SRPC), said Wednesday over Bombo Radyo Dagupan that many factors should be looked into why massive flooding occurred. He deflected the blame to agencies who he said are the ones in control of issuing warnings and other information to the public or deciding when to release water from the dam. He reiterated that while they are the dam's operator, state-run power firm Napocor is responsible for assessments, analysis and measurement of the dam’s water level; the dam's official are just following orders from them. On the other hand, Pangasinan’s 2nd District Rep. Victor Agbayani said that a congressional inquiry into the matter is a more feasible action than a lawsuit against the SRPC, saying that a probe can tackle the matter immediately. Arroyo’s share of blame Meanwhile, the Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment (Kalikasan-PNE) said that a total maximum of 6,000 cubic meters per second were released by the three dams as of October 9. Kalikasan-PNE’s national director Clemente Bautista has dragged President Gloria Arroyo as one of those to blame for the floods in Pangasinan. In a rally held Wednesday in front of the SRPC office Bautista said: “President Arroyo should be held accountable for allowing San Roque Dam to operate during her term and for not listening to the demands and the protests of community. This is another example of how her administration is favoring the interests of the foreign corporations at the expense of the safety and welfare of the Filipino people and our environment." He claimed that in addition to lack of disaster preparedness, the Arroyo government still pursues policies and destructive projects such as large-scale mining and large dams that destroy the environment and make communities more vulnerable and at higher risk to floods, landslides and other disasters. Probe welcomed On Wednesday, Malacañang welcomed any investigation into SRPC’s liability in handling the “untimely" release of water from the dam. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said that SRPC officials should be given a fair chance to explain their function, to disclose the events leading to the decision to release water and how warnings were disseminated to the public. San Roque Dam Sitting above an earthquake-prone area, San Roque Dam is a massive gated spillway specifically designed to protect the dam from overflowing. It is 200 meters high, making it the 12th highest embankment dam in the world and 1.2 kilometer long spanning the municipalities of San Manuel and San Nicolas, Pangasinan, some 200 km north of Metro Manila. It is sized to handle the Probable Maximum Flood of 12, 800 centimeters and its reservoir’s surface area of about 12.8 square kilometers extends north into the municipality of Itogon in Benguet province. The third phase of a P9.7-billion Department of Public Works and Highways-managed Agno Flood Control Project - which is designed to stop flooding in at least 16 towns in 16 Pangasinan and Tarlac provinces – is expected to be completed this year. - GMANews.TV