Three Luzon dams open gates to release water

Three dams in Luzon opened a few of their gates on Monday morning to release water amid heavy rains from the Southwest Monsoon, enhanced by Severe Tropical Storm Wipha (Crising), which is outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

Binga Dam in Benguet had six gates open at 0.5 meters at 9 AM., and water discharge is 508.31 cubic meters per second (cms), data from PAGASA showed.

The dam's reservoir water level (RWL) was at 574.21 meters at 8 AM on Monday.

Ambuklao Dam in Benguet, meanwhile, also had four gates open at 8 AM at 3.5 meters, discharging 311.77 cms.

Its RWL was at 751.28 meters, nearing the 752-meter spilling level.

On the other hand, Ipo Dam in Bulacan also had one gate open at 0.5 meter, discharging 65.7 cms.

PAGASA issued a heavy rainfall warning for Metro Manila and nearby provinces on Monday morning.

Yellow warning level covers Bataan, Cavite, Metro Manila, parts of Zambales (including Botolan, Olongapo, Subic), and Batangas (including Nasugbu, Lian, and Calatagan).

Flooding is possible in flood-prone areas. Light to moderate rains with occasional heavy showers are expected in Nueva Ecija, Quezon, Tarlac, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, Pampanga, and additional parts of Batangas and Zambales.

Severe Tropical Storm exited PAR on Sunday, however, Southwest Monsoon will continue to affect the country, bringing occasional rains to the western sections of Luzon and the Visayas.

According to the weather bureau, the rest of Luzon and Visayas may also expect cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms until Thursday, 24 July.