Weathermen on Sunday warned of flooding as the water level in the dams of Magat, Angat and Ipo in Luzon continued to rise following the rain brought by two low-pressure areas.
They made the warning even as disaster officials reminded the public to prepare for rain and possible floods and landslides from the two low-pressure areas inside the Philippine Area of Responsibility and the northeast monsoon affecting Northern Luzon.
At 9 a.m. on Sunday the first LPA was spotted 140 kilometers west-northwest of Puerto Princesa City, while the other was seen 35 kilometers northeast of Daet in Camarines Norte.
Weathermen said the two low-pressure areas will continue to drench Luzon, the Visayas and
Mindanao in the last few days of December.
In a 3 p.m. advisory, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said the first LPA was estimated 40 kilometers east of Infanta, Quezon, and the other was 190 kilometers north-northwest of Puerto Princesa City.
PAGASA said the northeast monsoon is also affecting Northern Luzon. Cagayan Valley, Aurora, Rizal and Quezon will continue to experience cloudy skies with scattered to widespread rain and thunderstorms.
The operator of Magat Dam in Isabela opened one gate for one meter at 9 a.m. on Sunday, according to PAGASA. The water release will likely affect the towns of Ramon, San Mateo, Aurora, Cabatuan, Luna, Reina Mercedes, Burgos, Naguilian and Gamu, it said.
The channels of the Cagayan River are also on “above alert level,” which may cause flashfloods due to the accumulation of water, according to the bureau’s hydrometeorology division.
“The whole stretch of Cagayan River, including the major tributaries, are likely to rise in the next 12 hours,” PAGASA said.
Cagayan and Isabela were severely flooded during the onslaught of typhoon “Ulysses” in November.
As of 2 p.m., the Angat and Ipo dams in Bulacan opened one gate each at 0.5 meters, according to PAGASA. The water release will affect the towns of Norzagaray, Angat, San Rafael, Bustos, Baliuag, Pulilan and Plaridel, it said.
Angat Dam’s water level was 213.378 meters, which is higher than its normal level of 212 meters, PAGASA said. Ipo Dam was at 100.32 meters and nearing its normal water level of 101 meters.
The operator of Angat Dam, Metro Manila’s main source of water supply, earlier issued a flood precaution as a “definitely large amount of rainfall is expected within the next 24 hours” in the dam’s catchment area due to the weather disturbances.
The LPAs won’t likely develop into tropical depressions but will bring rain over a large swath of the country, the weather bureau said earlier.