Floods displace thousands as Bulacan dams spill

BUSTOS, Bulacan, Philippines — More than 2,000 residents of three barangays in Norzagaray, Bulacan have evacuated their homes amid flooding as water was released from Angat, Bustos and Ipo Dams since Friday amid continuous rain.

More than 2,000 residents of Barangays Matictic, San Mateo and Poblacion, 806 of them children, were brought to evacuation centers, Grace Osido, municipal government information officer, said.

She said the provincial public affairs office is still collating the total number of displaced residents.

Floodwaters also destroyed the cottages at a resort in the town.

Angat and Bustos Dams were still releasing water as of 10 a.m. yesterday.

Francisco Clara, chief of the water control and coordinating unit of Bustos Dam, said the water level in the dam was at 17.37 meters as of yesterday.

He said 1,162.60 cubic meters per second of water was released to the dam’s downstream river system.

Water discharged from Angat, Ipo and Bustos Dams pass through the river system in San Rafael, Baliwag, Plaridel, Pulilan, Calumpit and Hagonoy before it drains out to Manila Bay.

The provincial disaster risk reduction and management office said the water level in Angat Dam was at 214.80 meters as of 8 a.m., more than two meters above its normal high level.

The water levels in Ipo and Bustos Dams were also beyond the spilling levels of 101 meters and 17 meters, respectively.