Magat, Bustos dams continue releasing water

Amid heavy rain due to inclement weather, the Magat Dam in Isabela and Bustos Dam in Bulacan on Monday continued to release excess water to keep water levels at the dams within safe limits.

According to Mark Salazar’s report on “24 Oras,” rescuers and volunteers in Isabela are on high alert due to the continuous release of water from Magat.

Magat Dam on Sunday opened its floodgates at around 2 p.m., releasing about 200 cubic meters of water.

At 6 a.m. on August 8, the dam had one gate open at one meter.

Magat Dam's reservoir water level (RWL) was at 188.19 meters at 6 a.m. on Monday, which is near the 190-meter spilling level.

The Isabela Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said the water from the Cagayan and Magat Rivers had overflowed slightly.

It added that water had earlier washed over the bridge of Alicaocao in Cauayan City but it was now passable to motorists.

Meanwhile, Bustos Dam’s floodgates had been open by one and a half meters for five days amid heavy downpours.

Dam operator Edgardo Cruz said the water level is near its spilling level of 17.35 meters.

“Halos isang oras, isang sentimetro ang itinataas [ng tubig]. Yung ni-release natin 1.5 meters para lang maagapan natin ang mga padating na inflow. Kaninang 8 a.m., 17.24 ang taas ng tubig, ngayon ganoon pa rin. Ibig sabihin may dumarating pa rin tubig,” he said.

(For about an hour, the water was rising by a centimeter. We released 1.5 meters in anticipation of the coming inflows. Yesterday at 8 a.m., the water level was 17.24, today it is still the same. This means the water is still coming.)

Authorities advised residents near the Angat River to brace themselves for a sudden rise in waters.

In Dilasag, Aurora, about 600 sacks of corn were damaged amid the heavy rainfall.

Some residents of Pasil, Kalinga were forced to walk due to a rockfall on Dandalakan Malukasad Road on Sunday, August 7.

The incident was immediately reported to the Department of Public Works and Highways for clearing operations.

Meanwhile, a landslide occurred on the Kalmansig-Balimbang Sultan Kudarat Road due to the bad weather.

There was also a brownout in 13 barangays after several electric posts were destroyed.

PAGASA said the rains in some parts of the country were caused by a low-pressure area (LPA), the Southwest Monsoon or Habagat, and localized thunderstorms. — DVM, GMA News