Residents in Pangasinan towns along the Agno River should expect higher water levels starting Wednesday morning, when the San Roque Dam begins a controlled release to ease pressure on its reservoir. The discharge is being staged gradually rather than as a sudden dump.
Release starts at 8 a.m. Wednesday
The San Roque Multi-Purpose Dam in San Manuel, Pangasinan will start releasing water at 300 cubic meters per second starting 8 a.m. on Wednesday, September 2, the National Power Corporation (Napocor) announced on Tuesday. The reservoir elevation had climbed to 283.68 meters above sea level as of noon Tuesday, the agency said.
The dam sits at the receiving end of rain from the southwest monsoon, or Habagat, which has also swollen reservoirs across Luzon this season.
Which Pangasinan towns are on alert
Napocor advised these municipalities, all in Pangasinan and strung along the Agno River, to stay alert and take preparatory measures:
- San Manuel
- San Nicolas
- Asingan
- Tayug
- Sta. Maria
- Rosales
- Sto. Tomas
- Alcala
- Bautista
- Bayambang
The release at a glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Release start | 8 a.m., Wednesday, September 2 |
| Discharge rate | 300 cubic meters per second |
| Reservoir elevation | 283.68 meters above sea level (noon Tuesday) |
| Direction | Downstream into the Agno River |
| Operator | National Power Corporation (Napocor) |
What residents should know
Communities along the Agno River are no strangers to this cycle. The same storm system that pushed the dam higher has already brought flooding to Bayambang, which was placed under a state of calamity, and triggered landslides in Laoag City over the past week.
Napocor is staging the discharge gradually to ease the reservoir pressure. Local disaster offices in the listed towns are on standby, and residents near riverbanks should stay updated through barangay and municipal announcements.
