CITY OF MALOLOS, Bulacan – THE light to moderate rains that Typhoon “Quinta” has brought and aggravated by high tide from Manila Bay have flooded 27 barangays in Hagonoy, Bocaue, Marilao, Bocaue and Calumpit.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) of Bulacan has reported that Hagonoy town has nine barangays submerged under 1-2 feet of water that include Palapat, San Agustin, San Isidro, San Juan , San Miguel, San Pedro, Sta. Monica, Sto. Niño, and Tampok while 12 barangays in Calumpit were submerged under 1-5 feet of water that include Sapang Bayan, San Jose, Pandukot, Sta. Lucia, Bulusan, Calizon, Gugo, Iba Oeste, Caniogan, Frances, Meysulao, San Miguel.
Barangay Bambang in Bocaue town was also submerged under 1-feet of flood water; same floodwater-level in Barangay Panginay, Wawa and San Juan in Balagtas town while 1-2 feet of floodwater in Barangay Lias in Marilao.
It was learned that more villages in this province particularly in the towns of Obando, Meycauayan and Bulakan were also submerged by floodwaters because of nonstop heavy downpours brought about by the southwest monsoon and high tide from Manila Bay but has not reported yet to the PDRRMO.
As these developed, floodwater has also made the Macaiban Bridge in Santa Maria town unpassable to all types of vehicles while the Lias road in Marilao town was not passable to light vehicles.
Governor Daniel Fernando since Tuesday last week frequently visiting the PDRRMO’s Communication, Command and Control Center to personally monitor the water level of Angat, Bustos and Ipo Dams as well as the flood situation in the province.
The governor also alerted the PDRRMO’s Bulacan Rescue Team during at the height of the continuous downpour of heavy rains.
Meanwhile, Ipo Dam as of 6:00 am on Monday has been releasing water at 108 cubic meter per second (cms) and its water elevation monitored at 101.20 meter against its spilling level of 101 meter while Bustos Dam as of 7:00 am has been releasing 375 cms with its water elevation at 17.01 against its spilling level of 17.00 meter.
On the other hand, Angat Dam’s water elevation has reached 194.10 meter as of 6:00am compared to its previous day’s water level of 192.40. The dam is 14.10 meters above its minimum operating level of 180 meter but is still 17.9 meters below its ideal end of the year water elevation.
IN PHOTO: Bulacan Governor Daniel Fernando with PDRRMO head Liz Mungcal at the PDRRMO’s Communication, Command and Control Center as the governor personally monitoring the water level of Angat, Bustos and Ipo Dams as well as the flood situation in the province as Typhoon Quinta has brought 27 villages here under 1-5 feet of flood water. (ELOI SAMONTE)