By Marilyn Galang/Philippine News Agency
CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija — The National Irrigation Administration-Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System (NIA-UPRIIS) on Tuesday declared as safe all dams in this province, including the mammoth Pantabangan Dam.
Rose Bote, division manager of NIA-UPRIIS, said the agency’s technical experts were immediately deployed after the 6.1-magnitude quake with its epicenter traced in Castillejos, Zambales, also jolted Nueva Ecija Monday.
Aside from Pantabangan Dam, which also generates electricity for the Luzon grid on top of irrigation for this province, Bote said they also inspected Canili Dam, also in Pantabangan; Rizal Dam in Rizal town; Peñaranda River Irrigation System in Peñaranda; and the Atate and Aulo Dams, both in Palayan City.
“Based on our initial inspection, there were no cracks or damage,” Bote said.
The earthquake that struck past 5 p.m. on Monday has killed 15 people in Pampanga and one in Zambales. Scores are still missing believed still trapped in a collapsed supermarket in Porac, Pampanga.
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