MANILA, July 26 — Magat Dam’s water level may surge if the enhanced southwest monsoon or ‘habagat’ dumps more rains in the dam and the surrounding watershed.
“Magat is located in a big watershed so a lot of water – including rain – flows into that dam, enabling it to fill up easily,” said hydrologist Richard Orendain from Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
He noted Magat’s 6 a.m. water level of 185.30 meters on Thursday (July 27) was 0.05 meters below the level 24 hours earlier.
The water level on Thursday morning was also still 4.70 meters below the 190 meters spilling level of Magat, he said.
Increased downpour in Magat watershed could hasten rise of the dam’s water level, however, Orendain noted.
Such scenario is likely if ‘Gorio’ continues moving northwards – pulling ‘habagat’ towards that direction – and intensifies, he said.
He noted intensification of ‘Gorio’ will further enhance ‘habagat,’ which has been dumping rain in western sections of Luzon and the Visayas, so heavier downpour is likely.
“We’ll continue monitoring Magat Dam and warn if water there is nearing the spilling level already, he said.
In its 11 a.m. bulletin released Thursday, PAGASA said ‘Gorio’ might intensify into a severe tropical cyclone in the next 24 hours.
PAGASA located ‘Gorio’ at 615 km east of Cagayan province’s Tuguegarao City as of 10 a.m. Thursday.
‘Gorio’ then packed maximum sustained winds of 85 kph near its center and gustiness of up to 105 kph, noted PAGASA.
Such weather disturbance might move north-northwest at 9 kph, PAGASA also said.
More moderate to either occasionally heavy or heavy ‘habagat’ rainfall is possible in western sections of Luzon – where Magat is – if ‘Gorio’ intensifies, noted PAGASA weather forecaster Sheilla Reyes.
She warned such rainfall can persist until this weekend.
“The expected rainfall can trigger landslides and flash floods,” she said.
Orendain said despite downpour from the enhanced ‘habagat,’ water so far in PAGASA-monitored dams is still way below these facilities’ respective spilling levels.
He said the downpour helped reserve in Metro Manila’s main water source Angat Dam rise by 0.58 meters to 186.23 meters this Thursday morning from level there 24 hours earlier.
Angat’s reserve on Thursday morning was still 23.77 meters below the 210 meters spilling level of this dam, he noted.
Water level in Ipo Dam reached 101.22 meters on Wednesday morning (July 26) – surpassing the 101 meters spilling level there, Orendain said.
To address such situation, he said authorities already commenced diverting water from Ipo to La Mesa Dam.
Ipo’s 6 a.m. water level this Thursday was at 100.85 meters already, PAGASA data showed. (PNA)
