Submerged town emerges as water reservoir levels drop

Remnants of an old town of Pantabangan in Nueva Ecija have emerged as water levels in the dam dropped.

Drone footage captured what seems like a small island in the middle of the Pantabangan Dam, revealing the ruins of the old town submerged in the 1970s to make way for the construction of the dam.

The structures of the former municipal hall and church could be seen.

The re-emergence of the old town has attracted attention from tourists and locals. The public is allowed to take pictures but are prohibited from approaching the area for safety reasons.

As of this writing, the water level at the dam is recorded at negative 44.67 meters above sea level, significantly lower than its normal high water level.

Consequently, the National Irrigation Administration's Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (NIA-UPRIIS) has implemented programs to mitigate the impact on irrigation.

“Kung magpapatuloy po ang baba ng tubig may programa po tayo para sa cloud seeding na kung saan ay makakapagdagdag po na patubig mula sa buwan ng Abril at matatapos po ito ng Hunyo,” Engr. Vivencia C. Dela Cruz, Chief of Engineering and Operations Division of NIA-UPRIIS, said.

Meanwhile, The water level going down has provided an opportunity for farmers like Junior Santos to cultivate the land that has surfaced.

“May po ay aanihin na ito, [sana] huwag lang magkakaroon ng bagyo… mga limang ektarya itong tinataniman namin,” Santos said.—GMA Regional TV