Bustos Dam's rubber gate deflated — Fernando

Bulacan Gov Daniel Fernando clarified that one of the six rubber gates of Bustos Dam did not burst or rupture but deflated, releasing presure within the rubber structure.

This was the report of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to Fernando, who said there was no need to evacuate residents near the Angat River.

"No need to panic and there will be no flooding because only a small volume of water was spilled," Fernando said.

At around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, rubber gate 3 of the Bustos Dam deflated, causing more than 2 meters of water to spill downstream to Angat River.

The governor immediately called the regional office of NIA, which is in charge of the operation of the Bustos Dam, to conduct an ocular inspection and assess the situation.

The dam's water level at the time of the incident was at 17.38 meters.

Fernando, however, insisted that all the six rubber gates should be replaced as soon as possible.

The PDRRMO said that the deflated rubber gate is only about 5 meters wide and the water spill has little or no effect on the Angat River.

As of 4 p.m. on Thursday, Angat River has returned to its normal flow.

In June 2020, the rubber gate at Bay 5 of Bustos Dam collapsed, allegedly due to the inferior quality of materials used by the contractor in the rehabilitation of the said dam.

All rubber gates were replaced back then.

Deflation is part of the rubber gate's functionality, allowing for the passage of sediments and debris during floods to prevent bigger damage to the dam.

More than 12, 900 farmers and at least 15,706 hectares of rice and vegetable farms benefit from Bustos Dam.