MALOLOS CITY—Water elevation at the Angat Dam climbed by 3.84 meters, along with other dams in Luzon.
due to heavy rainfall as Typhoon Glenda pummelled Central Luzon Wednesday. This, even as the National Power Corporation (Napocor) said it will still pursue the second phase of cloud seeding operations as water elevation at the dam remained below the critical 180 meters.
Records obtained by Punto! from Napocor showed the water elevation at the dam climbed to 166.58 meters above sea level (masl) at 6 a.m. yesterday, from 162.74 masl at 6 a.m Wednesday. This means that water elevation at the dam climbed by 3.84 masl in the last 24 hours.
Gladys Sta. Rita, president of Napocor, attributed the sudden rise in water elevation at the dam to the heavy rainfall brought by Typhoon Glenda on Wednesday. But the cloud seeding planned before Glenda would push through as the water elevation at the dam remained below critical level.
“We are coordinating closely with PAGASA. Last week, they already approved it,” Sta. Rita said referring to planned cloud seeding. Water level at the dam started dropping in December due to lack of rainfall. This led concessionaires of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) to sponsor cloud seeding operations last May.
Other major dams in Luzon also experience slight increase in water level except San Roque Dam. Records from the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) showed that water elevation at the Ambuklao Dam climbed to 741.20 masl yesterday from 740.22 masl on Wednesday.
Binga Dam water level climbed to 568.49 masl from 567.70 masl; Pantabangan Dam climbed to 177.44 masl from 176.81 masl, while Magat Dam climbed to 160.95 masl from 160.48 masl. In Pangasinan, San Roque Dam water level dropped to 233.84 masl yesterday from Wednesday’s 234.40 masl.
Water level at the National Irrigation Administration (NIA)-operated Bustos Dam also climbed due to rainfall brought by Glenda. Liz Mungcal, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) said that water level at Bustos Dam climbed to 17.35 masl yesterday from Wednesday’s 16.44 masl.
As an afterbay regulator dam of the giant Angat Dam, Bustos Dam is dependent on water release from the Angat Dam and inflow from Bayabas River from the mountain town of Donya Remedios Trinidad. Mungcal said that Angat Dam has not released water as it remained below critical level.
