Old structures resurface as Pantabangan Dam water level continues to recede

Old structures submerged in Pantabangan Dam have resurfaced as the water level at the Nueva Ecija reservoir continues to recede.

In a report on Unang Balita on Monday, footage captured by YouScooper Marx Lenen Uera Barcelo showed a submerged church resurfacing last Friday, July 10, followed by several more structures emerging on Sunday.

The structures belong to a town that was submerged a long time ago to make way for the construction of what is now the Pantabangan Reservoir.

As of July 12, the Pantabangan Dam recorded a decrease in water level to 177.43 meters based on data from PAGASA.

Meanwhile, residents of Cainta, Rizal are now on alert for the possible spillover of Upper Wawa Dam located in Rodriguez, Rizal.

According to the Cainta local government unit, the spillover from Wawa Dam is expected to raise water levels in the Marikina and Cainta rivers, which could subsequently lead to flooding on some roads and in several subdivisions.

The water level of Upper Wawa Dam was recorded at 135.11 meters above sea level as of July 12, 8 p.m.

In a Facebook post of Cainta Mayor Kit Nieto, classes on July 13 have been suspended in all private and public schools in Cainta.

Meanwhile, the Angat Dam on July 12 recorded its lowest water level in history at 155.91 meters, which prompted the Angat technical working group to discuss whether water allocations will be reduced.

Angat Dam is the primary water source for Metro Manila and nearby provinces. The dam had previously suspended its water supply for power generation and irrigation.

In a “24 Oras” report of Raffy Tima, Angat Dam recorded a slight rise to 156.09 meters at 8 a.m. on Monday, which is still well below its normal high water mark of 210 meters.

“Meron po tayong tinatawag na lag time, so ‘yung iba po kasing mga pag-ulan ay nabuhos doon po sa mountainous area po ng watershed, so meron pa pong time para bumaba yung tubig mula sa bundok… para makapag-report siya ng positive or pagtaas ng lebel ng tubig po sa isang dam,” PAGASA Hydrologist Ailene Abelardo said.

(We have what we call a lag time. Some of the rainfall poured over the mountainous areas of the watershed, so it takes time for the water to flow down from the mountains before a positive increase in a dam's water level is recorded.)

According to Abelardo, all water reservoirs were observed to have increased levels today due to rainfall over the past few days.

“Kapag ganito pong season talaga, lahat po ng dam is pababa po yung trend. So, pagdating po ng mid-July to end ng July up to first week or start po ng August doon po nagre-recover yun or recovery period ng lahat po ng mino-monitor na dams po dito sa Luzon,” Abelardo said.

(During this particular season, the water levels of all dams are actually on a downward trend. So, from mid-July to the end of July, and up to the first week of August, that is the recovery period for all the dams we monitor here in Luzon.)

However, Abelardo noted that Angat Dam will only see a significant increase in its water level if a forecasted tropical cyclone crosses over the reservoir. — Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/KG/BAP, GMA News