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http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20091014-229934/Dam-spill-came-too-late

DAM SPILL CAME TOO LATE

By Gabriel Cardinoza, Gil C. Cabacungan Jr., Amy R. Remo, Leila Salaverria
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:26:00 10/14/2009

Close this MANILA, Philippines—Did officials of the San Roque Dam follow their operations manual in regulating its water level amid the incessant rain and flooding triggered by Tropical Storm Pepeng?

The officials say they did. But based on the extent of the flooding that hit Pangasinan and the magnitude of the devastation, a Dagupan-based environmentalist doesnt think so.

Nicanor Melecio, president of the NGO Pangasinan Institute for Land and Aquatic Research, said dam officials should have started releasing water at 500 cubic meters per second (cms) when the dams level had reached 280 meters above sea level (masl) as indicated in their basic operation rule.

The dam has a maximum elevation of 290 masl.

Under the rule, water release operates from zero hour to 240 hours when floods occur, said Melecio, a former member of the San Roque Dam multipartite monitoring team.

You have 10 days to play with an incoming flood event by anticipating the water coming from the watershed, he said.

In a privilege speech, Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco Tuesday called for an inquiry into the operations of the dam.

Cojuangco said that the overloading of downstream river systems beside the San Roque Dam had caused tremendous devastation in his province that could have been avoided had the dam operators followed a more conservative and a cautious approach in releasing excess water.

The San Roque Dam captures water released by the Ambuklao and Binga hydroelectric dams in the upstream Agno River in Benguet province.

Power needs vs peoples lives

When the San Roque Dam shifts to flood mode, or has reached the 280 masl mark, it should not be allowed to reach 290 masl, Melecio said.

If you reach 290, it will be very difficult to control. So, even during the first 20 hours, you can start releasing [water]. You can start even up to 60 hours at 500 cms, he said.

Melecio said water may be released up to 1,400 cms. So, as you are releasing water, the dams water level that is supposed to be going up to 290 [masl] actually flattens, he said.

But if the rains continue, and the dams water approaches the critical level of 290 masl, then there is no choice but to release more than 1,400 cms, he said.

And so the question is: Do you have to wait for the water level to reach a very critical level so that you will release more than 1,400 cms? Thats the crux of the matter. How do you balance power needs as against peoples lives? Melecio said.

Water releases

Based on SMS media advisories, Tom Valdez, a vice president of the San Roque Multipurpose Project (SRMP) that operates the facility owned by National Power Corp. (Napocor), said the dam first opened a spillway gate midnight of Oct. 7 when the water level was 287.65 masl.

Pepeng smacked Cagayan Valley on Oct. 3 and hovered west of northern Luzon for over a week before moving out of the country at the weekend.

The Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) in Pangasinan recorded the first water release at 12:03 a.m. on Oct. 7, when the water elevation at the San Roque Dam was 286.5 masl. The rate of water release was 181.5 cms, with one gate opened at a height of a meter.

Valdezs advisory said that on the same day, the dam opened another gate and released excess water at 650 cms.

All 6 spillway gates open

The bulk of water release came on Oct. 8 when dam officials announced the opening of all its six spillway gates and released water at 2,500 cms.

The PDCC record showed that the dam, by 11 p.m. that day, was releasing water through its six gates at a rate of 3,600 cms. Water elevation at that time was 288.55 masl.

At 3 a.m. on Oct. 9, the dam was already releasing water at 5,072 cms. Water level at the reservoir was 289.05 masl.

The excess water overtopped dikes along the Agno River, eventually eroding them, causing a 7-kilometer breach in the dike along the Agno River at Barangay San Vicente in San Manuel and massive flooding in 38 towns and cities of Pangasinan.

The provincial government, farmers, business groups and concerned citizens said they would file a class suit against SRMP and Napocor for the destruction.

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http://www.sunstar.com.ph/network/basyang-moves-away-1210-pm
‘Basyang’ moves away (12:10 p.m.)

MANILA — Tropical storm Basyang (international codename: Conson) is now moving away from the country’s northern coasts, the Philippine Atmospheric Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) reported.

In a press briefing Wednesday, Pagasa said that as of 10 a.m., Basyang has weakened to 95 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center with gustiness of up to 120 kph after it crossed Central Luzon including Metro Manila Tuesday night.

The storm earlier packed winds of up to 120 kph near the center as it approaches the Aurora-Northern Quezon area.

Weather forecaster Nathaniel Servando said the Basyang made its landfall in Infanta town in Quezon before it barreled Central Luzon and Metro Manila past midnight.

Moving west at steady 22 kph, the weather bureau said Basyang was estimated at 150 kilometers southwest of Iba, Zambales.

Storm signal number 1 is hoisted over Batangas, Cavite including Lubang Island, Bataan, Zambales, Northern Mindoro and Metro Manila. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)

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