PH gov't assures no 'dam collapse' expected despite continuous heavy rains

MANILA – The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) on Thursday debunked the “potential collapse” of dams in the country due to continuous heavy rains.

During the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing, NIA Administrator Eduardo Guillen allayed concerns amid speculations circulating online.

He said these social media posts are not true and are unlikely to happen considering the integrity of water reservoir structures, particularly the Magat and Pantabangan dams.

“Hindi po, kasi alam ninyo naman, marami pa pong mas malalakas na pag-ulan ang pinagdaanan ng ating mga dams (No, it’s not true because as you know, these dams have surpassed even stronger rains),” Guillen said.

“Itong Magat at Pantabangan, mahigit 50 years na at sa awa naman ng Diyos ay maayos naman po (these Magat and Pantabangan dams have been there for more than 50 years and by God’s mercy, it’s still good).”

The structural integrity of these dams is also subject to the government’s close evaluation and assessment to ensure safety despite inclement weather.

“Regular naman po iyong aming monitoring sa ating mga dams, iyong maintenance and operations natin (Our dam monitoring is also regular, as well as our maintenance and operations),” Guillen said.

The NIA chief also reiterated that despite dams spilling over due to heavy monsoon rains, the high volume of water reserves remains beneficial to the country's irrigation system ahead of a severe El Niño.

“Lampas na tayo sa critical level. Sabi ko nga, marami ng mapapatubigan ito, sabi ko doon sa mga tao ko (We had passed the critical level. As I’ve told my personnel, this volume can irrigate significant coverage),” Guillen said.

“But, anyway, iyong Pantabangan Dam may around 30 meters pa po na hindi mapuno ‘no, at itong Magat around 10 meters pa (the Pantabangan dam still has 30 meters before it overflows, while the Magat has about 10 meters).”

Guillen also assured innovative strategies to sustain close monitoring in these dams through utilization of artificial intelligence (AI).

“May ginagamit po ang NIA ngayon, iyong artificial intelligence sa weather forecasting, ano po. So, two weeks prior po na bumagsak iyong ulan, alam na po ng NIA, may estimate na po ng NIA kung ilan ang babagsak doon sa ating catchment area (The NIA is now using AI for weather forecasting. So two weeks before it rained, the NIA knew it and it had estimates on the anticipated volume in our catchment area),” he said.

“Kung susobra iyong tubig, nagre-release na ho tayo ng —pre-release ng tubig, ano. Kaya ho malaking tulong talaga ito sa flood control (If there will be excess water, we will release beforehand– prerelease the water. That’s why it’s a huge help in flood control).”

As of 8 a.m. Thursday, the water level in Magat Dam is 178.73 meters above sea level (masl), which is slightly higher than 178.34 masl on Aug. 19, according to the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

The Pantabangan Dam water level, meanwhile, is logged at 188.94 masl, higher than the 188.31 masl on Monday.

The NIA earlier said no spill discharge has been recorded yet at Pantabangan Dam and Magat Dam.

-Stephanie Sevillano/Philippine News Agency