Marikina River alert level lowered as water levels drop

Local authorities issued a first alarm late Saturday evening and raised the third alarm on Monday night due to heavy rains from the enhanced Southwest Monsoon (Habagat), causing Marikina River's water level to reach 18.3 meters.

By Tuesday morning, the alert level at Marikina River was lowered from third alarm to second alarm as the water level decreased to 17.7 meters by 6 a.m., and further dropped to 15.9 meters by 11:51 a.m.

The local government enforced forced evacuations when the river reached the highest alert level on Monday night, but Alert Level 2 remained in effect for several hours on Tuesday morning.

As of 7:42 a.m., the river's water level stood at 16.8 meters and had previously risen to 18.6 meters before beginning to subside an hour later, according to the Marikina Public Information Office.

The Marikina River alarm was lifted Tuesday night as its water level continued to fall; it reached 14.9 meters by 8:34 p.m., signaling a drop in flood risk for residents near the river and in low-lying areas.

Metro Manila is still expected to receive more than 200 millimeters of rainfall until Wednesday afternoon, according to state meteorologists at Pagasa.