PANTABANGAN, Nueva Ecija – The water level of Pantabangan Dam was declared safe at 208 meters as of 8:00 a.m. Tuesday by official of the National Irrigation Administration-Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System (NIA-UPRIIS).
Engr. Josephine Salazar, NIA-UPRIIS operations manager, noted that the water level is way below the dam’s spilling level of 221 meters.
“There is nothing to worry about at this level,” she said.
Engr. Freddie Tuquero, manager of dam and reservoir division, said the agency has set a reservoir filling curb that was aimed at ensuring safe and managed release of water in case of necessity.
“From June 1 to October 31, the water level should not exceed 216 meters with five meters as buffer for the possible strong typhoons,” he said.
The 216-meter level is deemed to be safe as it comes with a calculated move of reducing water when reached, Tuquero said.
This is to prevent the pressure of having water from the dam overflowing irrigation canals with the current from different rivers, such as Cabu and Coronel rivers, he said.
“Magbabawas tayo ng tubig bago dumating ang malalaks na bagyo. Monitored naman natin yun through Pag-asa,” he explained. “Pag mag-aaraw naman, magre-release tayo para dun sa irrigation kaya unti-unti, baba rin yung tubig natin,” he said.
