Dam water release to be gradual, measured

MANILA, Philippines —  As Severe Tropical Storm Kristine moved to Northern Luzon yesterday after inundating large parts of the Bicol region, the National Power Corp. (Napocor) started releasing dam water while assuring the public the procedure would be controlled to avoid flooding in downstream communities.

Napocor flood operation manager Maria Teresa Sierra said the dams operated by the state-run power generator started releasing water even before the arrival of Kristine in northern Luzon to make sure the water released won’t trigger or exacerbate flooding.

“The releases being done are very controlled and will definitely not cause flooding in our downstream communities,” Sierra said at a press briefing yesterday at Malacañang.

Napocor, which provides missionary electrification to off-grid areas, manages major dams in Luzon, including the Ambuklao Dam and the Binga Dam in Benguet, San Roque Dam in Pangasinan, Angat Dam in Bulacan, and the Caliraya Dam in Laguna.

During his visit to areas hit by Super Typhoon Carina in July, President Marcos instructed concerned agencies to address the “weakness” in communication, particularly in alerting local governments to releasing of excess dam water.

On Wednesday, Marcos urged dam operators in Luzon to gradually release water ahead of the expected heavy rains as any bulk release of excess water could swamp downstream communities.

Sierra said protocols on the release of dam water have been amended to make them compliant with the President’s directive.

“Prior to our amendment, we thought it was enough that we should have sufficient time, lead time to warn the public so it was previously around four hours. But, right now, we have amended our protocol , we issue notice on the preparatory phase for the dam discharge warning operation or spilling operation, at least 24 hours, we inform the LGUs (local government units),” she said.

“We can (give an) assurance to the downstream communities that our past experiences with the dams, we have learned a lot of lessons from them,” she added.

Sierra explained that each dam has its own purpose, citing the Angat Dam, which maintains a certain water elevation enough to provide Metro Manila