Binga Dam in northern Luzon may soon resume spilling or releasing excess water after its sister facility Ambuklao Dam did so this week to guard against rise of water to the normal high level.
Prevailing thunderstorms in the sub-basin may bring rain that can considerably raise Binga’s water, noted Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) hydrologist Ailene Abelardo on Friday.
“Management of Binga may opt to resume this dam’s spilling operations to prevent such water rise,” she said.
Spilling operations help promote the dams’ structural integrity by preventing water from rising to the normal highs of these facilities.
According to PAGASA, Ambuklao and Binga dams this month stopped their spilling operations.
Both facilities and San Roque Dam comprise a series of cascading dams supporting irrigation and power generation in Luzon.
Ambuklao discharges water into Binga which, in turn, releases water to San Roque.
PAGASA reported Ambuklao Dam’s 6 a.m. water level on Friday at 751.92 meters — just 0.08 meter below its 752 meters normal high.
Ambuklao then was spilling excess water using one gate opened at a height of 0.30 meter, noted PAGASA.
Binga’s 6 a.m. water level on Friday was at 574.15 meters, only 0.85 meter lower than the 575 meters normal high of the facility.
The easterlies are prevailing in the country and may bring partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers. PAGASA forecast Friday.
Thunderstorms are also possible and some of these may even be severe enough to bring rain that can trigger either flash floods or landslides, noted PAGASA.
Abelardo said the sub-basin where Ambuklao and Binga dams are has not received much rainfall during the 24-hour period ending 8 a.m. Friday.
“Accumulated rainfall there then was five millimeters only,” she said.
However, some of the expected thunderstorms can bring rain that may affect the sub-basin and both dams, she noted.
PAGASA forecast up to 10 millimeters of rain over the sub-basin during the 24-hour period ending 8 a.m. Saturday (Sept. 25).
Source: Philippines News Agency