MALOLOS
CITY—Angat Dam is safe and resistant to earthquake, the National Power
Corporation (Napocor) said and assured the safety of Bulakenyos living
downstream of the dam.
This
came as the Napocor launched its information and education campaign on Angat
Dam Operation in Norzagaray, Bulacan the other day.
During
the launch of the campaign participated by municipal disaster risk reduction
officials, planning officer and social workers, Engineer Manny Monteverde of
the Napocor Dams, Reservoirs and Waterways division described the 47-years old
dam.
He said that Angat Dam is a rock-fill type of
dam and that this type of dam which is resistant to damage from earthquakes.
Monteverde
explained that the dam’s capacity to resist earthquakes is due to its inherent
elasticity and self-healing characteristics.
He
also also made clear that the dam has no crack saying “walang lamat ang dam.”
This
in reference to news reports about five years ago that the dam have cracks.
With
regards to presence of the West Marikina Valley Faultline which is said to be
situated some 200 meters east of the dam’s dike, a geologist from the
Engineering Development Corporation of the Philippines (EDCOP) also tried to
allay fears of Bulakenyos.
Dr.
Ramon Quebral, a structural geologist from the EDCOP said that the theory on
the West Valley Fault in connection with Angat Dam is only a premise that is
yet to be studied and verified further.
EDCOP
is the partner of the Tonkin & Taylor International based in New Zealand
that conducted a six month feasibility study on the integrity of the Angat Dam
which was completed in May 2012.
In
the said study, EDCOP and Tonkin & Taylor did not conduct a site specific
seismic study on the Angat Dam to verify the presence of the splay of the fault
line.
In
an earlier interview, Bulacan Governor Wilhelmino Alvarado disclosed that the
said faultline is used by a former administrator of the Metropolitan Waterworks
and Sewerage System (MWSS) to justify construction of another dam in Rizal
province.
Citing
warnings from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
(Philvolcs), Alvarado said that the said faultline can move anytime might cause
a breach on the Angat Dam.
For
her part, Gladys Cruz–Sta. Rita, president of the Napocor also tried to allay
fears on possible dam break.
She
said the other day, “We must not give in to fear but should not abandon caution."
As
a former Provincial Administrator of Bulacan, Sta. Rita said that she came to
the infprmation drive not only to speak on behalf of the corporation that has
been in the dam industry for 77 years with a pool of the most talented
engineers in the country, but also as a concerned Bulakenya.
“Ang
aming misyon sa National Power Corporation ay ang maging tagapagbantay at
kakampi ninyo sa matagalang kaligtasan at pakinabang sa yamang tubig na tuwina
ay gamit natin sa araw-araw na pamumuhay,” she said.
The
information drive also discussed why Angat Dam spills water in relation to
possibilities of over-topping or overflowing of water that may cause dam
failure.
“We
only release water when our dam reaches its critical spilling level, this is to
avoid over tapping that can impose greater risk in the province of Bulacan. We
are only protecting the integrity of our dam,” explained Engineer Russel Rigor
of Napocor’s Flood Forecasting and Warning System Division.
He
enlightened the participants on Angat River’s flow capacity, Napocor’s warning
stations and flood forecasting facilities.
It
was also clarified in the presentations that recent floods that hit Calumpit,
Paombong, and Hagonoy towns cannot be attributed solely to Angat Dam spilling,
but to the natural tendency of these towns to serve as catch basin for the
Pampanga River System. Dino Balabo
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