BUSTOS, Bulacan—A sudden burst of one of the six rubber gates of Angat Afterbay Regulatory Dam or the Bustos Dam in this town on Friday afternoon caused officials to alert communities in low lying areas near the Angat-Bustos river for a possible need to transfer to higher grounds in fear of a flash flood.
Mayor Francis Juan had alerted local folks living near the Bustos River after Gate 3 of Bustos Dam suddenly deflated and burst at around 2:20 pm.
Juan said flash flood may happen anytime following the breakage of the rubber gate.
Josefina Salazar, National Irrigation Administration (NIA) region 3 director told NEWSCORE Bulacan that Rubber Gate No. 3 of Bustos Dam suddenly deflated.
Bustos Dam was at its 17.38 meters spilling level.
Bulacan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) said the high heat index caused the breakage. However, he said, there should be no cause for an alarm because Rubber Gate No. 3 is only a small opening and would only allow a 2.38 meter of water discharges from the dam. The rubber gate has a 5 meters width.
Lukban added that because of the heat index these days, Bustos Dam is under Yellow Alert or low level. “That’s why there is no reason for towns along Angat River from Bustos town to Calumpit to cause panic because the water flow along the river is only 5 centimeter. In fact, as of 4 pm today, the normal water flow along Angat River has returned to normal,” he said.
Angat Dam with 212.00 meters above sea level (masl) normal high water elevation continuous to decrease due to high heat index and everyday supply to Metro Manila. Metro Manila’s 97 % water requirement is provided by Angat Dam water supply. The reservoir was at 203.10 masl on Friday, based on the PDRRMO data. Discharges in Amgat Dam will cause a water level increase in Bustos Dam.
Salazar however could not inmediately determine the cause of the breakage of the rubber gate. She said they are now reviewing the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footages to determine what triggered the blast.
According to her, based on the initial assessment of NIA Bulacan Irrigation Management Office (IMO) Operations and Maintenance Team, there was a low water pressure during the incident which would not cause any threat and damage to the whole dam facility and to the safety of nearby communities.
On May 10, 2025, Gate No. 5 of Bustos Dam also suddenly deflated.
Gov. Daniel Fernando had since demanded NIA to replace all the five other remaining rubber gates in fear of similar breakage.
Initially, according to NIA, the six rubber gates were sourced from China.
