Despite the rains brought by a series of weather systems—from monsoon rains to low pressure area—the water elevation in the four major dams in Bohol remain below normal.
In the latest monitoring of the regional office of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA)-7, water elevation at Malinao Dam in Pilar is at 148.60 meters.
It is still below the dam’s full capacity of 152 meters, but above the critical of 146.5 meters.
Bayongan Dam in San Miguel now has water elevation of 43.68 meters, which is below its full capacity of 52 meters, but above its critical level of 41 meters.
Capayas Dam in Ubay now has 34 meters, which is also below its full capacity of 36.5 meters but also above its critical level of 30 meters.
Talibon Dam is just a little above its critical level of 21 meters, having actual elevation now of 21.89 meters.
When full, Talibon Dam will have water elevation of 30 meters.
NIA-7 remains optimistic that more rains will come as the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) expects the southwest monsoon, more low pressure areas (LPAs), intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), localized thunderstorms and two to four more tropical cyclones that may enter or develop in the Philippine Area of Responsibility.
PAGASA estimated that rainfall in the month of August would be “generally near normal”.
Bohol, however, is not among the areas that will have “above normal rainfall conditions” as what is expected “in CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Bicol Region, Metro Manila, most parts of Eastern Visayas, the provinces of Nueva Viscaya, Quirino, Bataan, Aurora, Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Norte”.
The low rainfall is expected as PAGASA also estimated a “generally near average to slightly warmer than average temperature in most parts of the country”.
NIA-7 had noted that the water levels in the four major dams at present almost in the same range as in the monitoring in the month of June which is the supposed start of the rainy season.
By June 27, the water level at Malinao Dam increased to 150.18 meters from its June 7 status at 148.85 meters, but marked a slight decrease from its elevation of 151.79 meters as of May 16 monitoring.
At that time, Bayongan Dam’s water level had slightly dropped to 44.91 meters as of June 27 monitoring, while it registered an increase to 45.16 meters from 44.58 meters as of the May 16 monitoring.
Also as of June 27 monitoring, Capayas Dam slightly increased to 33.60 meters; while in the June 7 and May 16 monitoring, its water level was steady at 33.14 meters.
Water elevation at the Talibon Dam, at that time, also slightly dipped to 25.21 meters; while as of June 7, it reached 25.91 meters and at 25.82 meters as of the May 16 monitoring.