CABANATUAN CITY – The National Irrigation Administration- Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System (NIA-UPRIIS) stopped on Wednesday the release of water from the mammoth Pantabangan Dam as rains brought by Typhoon Falcon would be utilized by local farmers in the ongoing rice planting activities.
Engr. Rose Bote, department manager of NIA UPRIIS, said that cutting off the release for irrigation would be an opportunity to boost the dam’s reserve.
Pantabangan Dam’s water level was at 188 meters above sea level as of 7:45 am Wednesday, according to Bote.
She said they released water at 114 cubic meters per second up to Tuesday to sustain the need of farmers who are currently in planting activities.
Farmers in three divisions of UPRIIS, she said, have received some 30,000 bags of subsidized rice seeds from the Department of Agriculture, she said.
“Kapag umuulan ay inihihinto natin ang release ng tubig para makapag-reserve pa,” she said.
Pantabangan Dam’s spilling level is 221 masl. Meanwhile, several local government units, including this city, San Jose City, and the towns of Santa Rosa, Cuyapo, and Rizal have suspended classes for pre-elem to high school in both public and private schools.
