PAGASA warns Pampanga floodwaters may still rise from upstream runoff

PAGASA Hydrometeorology Division chief Engr. Socrates Paat Jr. said Pampanga, is in the lower portion of the river basin, where water from the mountains continues to add to the volume of floodwaters.

“So yung mga inulan noong nagsimula ng Thursday, Friday, ay patuloy pa rin bumababa sa ngayon, yung mga tubig na yun, yung mga volume of water na nanggaling sa bundok through the river channel (So the water from the rains that started Thursday and Friday is still coming down now, the volume of water that came from the mountains through the river channel),” Paat said in a press conference on Tuesday, Sept. 1.

Paat said this is why water levels can continue rising even after rainfall has stopped in the affected area.

“Sa ngayon po, hindi naman na gaanong marami ang pag-ulan doon sa upstream. So yun na lang yung mga inulan na yun yung hinihintay nating tuluyang makababa (At present, there is not much rainfall in the upstream areas. So we are just waiting for the water from those previous rains to completely flow down),” he said.

“Ine-expect pa rin natin na may pagtaas pa rin doon sa mga water levels at magdadagdag pa rin sa pagdurusa ng ating mga kababayan na nalubog na sa tubig (We still expect some increase in the water levels, which will add to the suffering of our fellow Filipinos who are already submerged in floodwaters),” he added.

He said PAGASA would continue monitoring weather conditions in the coming days and issue advisories if evacuation or coordination with local governments becomes necessary.

Paat further explained that flooding tends to linger in several communities in the Pampanga Delta because of their low elevation and proximity to Manila Bay.

He said the situation becomes more difficult when a large volume of water comes down from the upstream portions of the Pampanga River Basin.

He added that the low-lying communities in the Pampanga Delta can also experience stagnant floodwaters when the water level in Manila Bay is higher.

“Kaya kung mas mataas yung Manila Bay, of course, magiging stagnant yung tubig na nandun sa tinatawag na ating Pampanga Delta na yun kung saan nandun yung mga bayan ng Minalin, Macabebe, Santo Tomas (So if the water level in Manila Bay is higher, of course, the water in the Pampanga Delta, where the towns such as Minalin, Macabebe and Santo Tomas are located, will become stagnant),” Paat said. — Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz