Bidding for rehab of aging Bustos rubber dam begins
CITY OF MALOLOS – Gov. Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado on Tuesday thanked President Benigno S. Aquino III for giving the green light for the immediate repair of the already deteriorating Angat Afterbay Regulator Dam, popularly known as Bustos dam whose rubber gates were found out to have become brittle aside from having punctured holes.
The governor made the replica breitling uk announcement after meeting with newly installed National Irrigation Administration Region 3 Director Josephine Salazar at the capitol Monday afternoon.
The NIA regional director informed the governor that the bidding for the repair and improvement of the main canals, laterals and its appurtenant structures will commence Tuesday at the NIA Regional Office 3 in Brgy. Tambubong, San Rafael town.
Salazar said that the repair was pegged at P250 million which is part of the 1 billion pesos of the total rehabilitation of Bustos dam.
The NIA Region III director, who was accompanied by Provincial Planning and Development Office Chief Arlene Pascual and Provincial Agriculture Officer Gloria Carillo, also presented to the governor the overall project objectives and the scope of the rehabilitation work for Bustos dam.
Salazar said that the already brittle and punctured 6 rubber gates of Bustos dam will be totally replaced with new ones with additional features like sprinkles to make them heat resistant.
Alvarado said that the life span of the rubber gates of Bustos dam is good replica rolex watches uk for 30 years but due to global warming and climate change the rubber gates has already shown signs of deterioration and needs immediate replacement now that it’s only 16 years old.
In 2012, he said that NIA hired the services of dam specialist from Bridgestone, a known international rubber and tire company, to examine the life expectancy of the rubber gates. The Bridgetone experts noted that the rubber gates are approaching the end of its “useful life” and concluded that immediate replacement is necessary.
He said that the present condition of the dam is posing a “clear and present danger” to the downstream towns of Plaridel, Pulilan, Malolos, Calumpit and Hagonoy.
Alvarado said that when dam operators open one gate, it will release 500 cubic meters per second of water.
“But if they open two gates at the same time, the coastal towns of Calumpit and Hagonoy will be submerged under several feet of flood. Just imagine how deep the flooding will be if all 6 gates will collapse due to its deteriorating state come the typhoon season.”
Alvarado added that the rehabilitation of Bustos dam will fortify the mammoth structure and will serve as flood control during the rainy season to prevent flash floods at the downstream area of the Angat river.
The governor also said that the repair of Bustos dam will also improve the irrigation water delivery and cropping intensity in support of the agricultural development program of the government.
“Hopefully, when the new and fully rehabilitated Bustos dam is finished it will have more water holding capacity and will also secure the delivery of irrigation water for our farmers,” Alvarado added.
Aside from Bustos dam, the governor was also grateful to the President for fast tracking the immediate repair of the 47 year old Angat dam located in the mountains of Norzagaray.
Bustos dam, which is the longest rubber dam in Asia, supplies irrigation water to 31,485 hectares of farm lands in 20 towns in Bulacan and parts of Pampanga benefitting at least 20,562 farmers.