San Roque Dam opens gate amid Typhoon Nika

The San Roque Dam in Pangasinan opened one of its gates at 0.5 meters on Monday to release water at 63 cubic meters per second amid the expected inflow due to Typhoon Nika.

National Power Corporation-San Roque Dam Office flood operation manager Teresa Serra said this pre-release is necessary to decrease the reservoir elevation, which currently stands at 278.07 meters above sea level.

Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office operations head Vincent Chiu noted that although moderate to heavy rainfall is expected, river systems are still below normal levels and should not cause flooding with the current water release.

Pangasinan remains on red alert status with teams prepositioned in strategic areas for rescue operations, and local counterparts have been asked to implement preemptive evacuations in high-risk areas.

The Magat Dam will also open one of its gates by 6 p.m. to release an estimated 130 cubic meters per second as it currently stands at 181.95 meters elevation.