ILOILO City – Water levels in several dams across Aklan, Capiz, and Antique climbed above their normal operating ranges on Wednesday as Tropical Depression “Verbena” drenched Western Visayas with persistent rains.
The latest monitoring of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Region 6 showed sustained inflows in major river systems after “Verbena” crossed Guimaras and southwestern Panay Island late Wednesday morning.
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) earlier reported that the storm — packing 55 kph sustained winds and gusts up to 90 kph — moved west-northwest across Antique before heading toward the Sulu Sea.
In Aklan, the Aklan River Irrigation System (RIS)-East facility in Banga town logged 18.80 meters above sea level (masl), surpassing its 18.20 masl norm, leading to the opening of one sluice gate. Its counterpart, Aklan RIS-West in Malinao, marked 18.50 masl, also above normal, though both of its gates remained closed.
Also in Aklan, the Panakuyan RIS in Ibajay rose to 16.60 masl, exceeding the usual 15.50 masl, but no gate release was made.
In Capiz, the Mambusao RIS dam registered 20.10 masl, a full meter above its safe operating level, with its only gate still shut as of the latest advisory.
Antique’s dams also recorded sharp increases. The Solong Dam in Sibalom reached 2.6 meters above riverbed (marb) against a 1.5 marb benchmark, prompting both gates to open. The Tipuluan Dam in Barangay Cubay likewise spiked to 3.3 marb, beyond its 2.5 marb safe point, with both gates activated.
Meanwhile, the Nasuli Dam in San Remigio rose to 2.4 marb, above its 2.0 marb operating mark, leading to the opening of all three gates.
PAGASA placed Aklan, Capiz, and Antique under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1, cautioning the public about continued strong winds and rains likely to sustain or increase inflows into local rivers and dams. The agency noted that even areas outside the cyclone’s direct track may still experience heavy downpour and gusts due to the combined effects of Verbena and the Northeast Monsoon.
NIA Region 6 said its personnel remain deployed across the affected provinces to monitor any sudden changes in dam behavior and coordinate with municipal disaster offices. It urged residents living along riverbanks and in low-lying communities to stay vigilant and be ready to follow orders from local authorities should flooding occur./PN
