The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) on Friday assured the public there is no cause for alarm after one of the rubber gates of the Bustos Dam burst, saying the water flow has since returned to normal.
NIA Administrator Eduardo Guillen dismissed fears of large-scale flooding, clarifying that Bustos Dam is designed for diversion, not storage.
“It has a small impoundment. It will not cause floods,” he said. The authorities are still investigating the cause of the gate failure, he added.
“There are six gates, and it was gate number three, the one at the center, that gave way. We are waiting for the final report to see what exactly happened and what can be done to restore it quickly,” Guillen said.
He surmised that a reason for the breach was the gate’s rubber construction.
The Bustos Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office had issued an advisory urging residents along riverbanks to remain alert and prepare for possible flooding.
Officials, however, said the situation was under control.
“By 4 p.m. yesterday, water flow had mostly normalized,” Guillen said. “As soon as the gate burst, we coordinated with Angat Dam to stop its irrigation releases, which helped prevent any overflow.”
Angat Dam, the primary water source for Metro Manila, supplies Ipo Dam — where drinking water is drawn — before diverting a portion of its flow to Bustos Dam for irrigation.