MALOLOS CITY—The national government backtracked on the planned rehabilitation of Bustos Dam in Bulacan, officials said.
This came as planned replacement of dam structures with concrete materials was reduced to replacement of its six rubber gates.
Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado said that bidding for the rehabilitation of the said dam operated by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) is likely to push through this July. He said that about P1 billion saved by the national government in the proposed rehabilitation of the Angat Dam will be utilized in the rehabilitation of the Bustos Dam, an after- bay regulator dam of the bigger Angat Dam.
However, the governor said that instead of replacing the old concrete structure of the dam, the government plans to just replace its six infl atable rubber gates. Earlier this year, the national government considered removing the old structure of the dam to build a new one.
But it will require longer time to construct. This was affirmed by Engr. Precioso Punzalan, the assistant operations engineer of NIA. He said that all six inflatable rubber gates of the dam will be replaced with new rubber gates.
Punzalan said that an additional feature will be the installation of a sprinkler system on the rubber gates “to make them cooler and last longer.” Based on earlier statements of the NIA, a rubber gate has a lifespan of 30 years, but hot weather conditions in the country made the old rubber gates installed by Zenitaka Contractors from Japan weaker.
Aside from the rubber gates, Punzalan said that the apron of the dam will also be rehabilitated saying it must be secured in order to ensure stability of the old dam structures. Constructed over 50 years ago, Bustos Dam is located along the stretch of the Angat River between the towns of San Rafael and Bustos.
Water stored in its reservoir is distributed by the NIA to some 28,000 hectares of farmlands in Bulacan and Pampanga. Punzalan said that Bustos Dam have a total water holding capacity of one million cubic meters.
