Rehab of aging Angat dam may still take long—dam engineer

View of Angat Dam from San Lorenzo (Hilltop), Norzagaray, Bulacan.

MALOLOS CITY, Bulacan — Korean Water (K-Water), the new owner and operator of Angat dam, is still groping in the dark on the repair and rehabilitation of Angat dam, a dam engineer of the National Power Corporation (Napocor) disclosed on Saturday.

Engineer Rodolfo German, former manager of the erstwhile Napocor-run Angat Dam Hydroelectric Power Plant, also said that K-Water is also bracing for the effects of the “El Nino” weather disturbance that is expected to hit the country in 2015 because the water elevation at the dam’s reservoir is still abnormal.

As of 6 a.m. Saturday, the water level at the dam was 206 meters, which is six meters lower from its spilling level of 212 meters.

German said that this is abnormal because by this time the water elevation should at least be at 210 meters.

The management and operation of Angat dam was turned over by the Philippine government to the K-Water last Nov. 1 this year.

Under its contract, K-Water will facilitate the rehabilitation and strengthening of the 47 years old rock filled dam which experts claimed is sitting along the West Valley fault line and could collapse if jolted by a powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake.

“We are still on a five- month transition period. The rehabilitation phase may still take that long,” German said during a live interview with Bulakenyo broadcaster Rommel Ramos on Saturday morning.

German said that aside from the feasibility study and proposal made by the Europe-based “Tonkin and Taylor”, K-Water has also its own plans on the repair of Angat dam but is not as elaborate as that of the former.

He also disclosed that the new owners are still talking with government officials on the funds for the rehabilitation of Angat dam.

“It may still take long before it begins,” he said.

A provincial board member said that the new owner and operator of Angat dam has yet to make a courtesy call to the provincial government.

He said it is only prudent that the new owners should coordinate with the provincial government when it comes to dams policies and protocol.

Governor Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado has earlier called on K-Water to immediately start the repair and rehabilitation of the aging dam whom, he said has only a life-span of 50 years aside from being constructed without the aid of modern dam engineering technology.

He said that since it is confirmed that it is sitting along the West Valley fault, there is an urgency for its immediate repair and strengthening.

Aside from this, the people of Bulacan has high expectation on its new owners and are hoping that they will start the repair very soon.

He also suggested that the new owners adopt the study made by “Tonkin and Taylor” so that the repair could start immediately.

“There’ is already a study made for the repair and strengthening of Angat dam. Until the rehabilitation begins, the aging dam will continue to hang like the probervial “Sword of Damocles” over our heads,” he added.