Residents alerted after Bustos Dam rubber gate bursts
INQUIRER FILES
BUSTOS, Bulacan — Residents in low-lying areas of this town were placed on alert Friday for possible evacuation due to fears of a flash flood after one of the six rubber gates of the Angat Afterbay Regulatory Dam, commonly known as the Bustos Dam, suddenly burst.
Mayor Francis Juan issued a warning to communities near the Bustos River after Gate No. 3 of the dam abruptly deflated and ruptured at around 2:20 p.m.
“There’s a potential for a flash flood following the gate’s failure,” Juan said.
According to Josefina Salazar, regional director of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in Central Luzon, Gate No. 3 unexpectedly deflated. At the time of the incident, the dam’s water level was at its spilling level of 17.38 meters.
The Bulacan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) attributed the breakage to the extreme heat index, which may have compromised the integrity of the rubber material. However, the agency assured the public that there was no immediate cause for alarm. The damaged gate, which is five meters wide, resulted in the release of only about 2.38 meters of water, a relatively small volume.
PDRRMO chief operations officer Angelito Lukban explained that Bustos Dam remains under Yellow Alert status, indicating a low-risk situation. “There is no reason for panic in towns downstream along the Angat River, from Bustos to Calumpit. The water flow in the river is minimal — only about five centimeters — and as of 4:00 p.m., the flow has returned to normal,” he said.
Meanwhile, Angat Dam — the primary source of Metro Manila’s water supply — continued to show a decline in its water level due to the intense heat and consistent daily withdrawals. The dam measured 203.10 meters above sea level (masl) on Friday, below its normal high water level of 212.00 masl.
Salazar said the exact cause of the gate failure is still under investigation. The NIA is reviewing CCTV footage to determine what led to the sudden deflation. Initial assessments by the NIA Bulacan Irrigation Management Office (IMO) indicated that the water pressure at the time was low and posed no significant risk to the dam’s structural integrity or to nearby communities.
READ: Bulacan dams release water as reservoir levels hit critical mark
This is not the first incident involving the dam’s rubber gates. On May 10, 2025, Gate No. 5 also suddenly deflated. In response, Bulacan Governor Daniel Fernando has called on the NIA to replace all remaining rubber gates, citing concerns over their reliability. The original gates were reportedly sourced from China. INQ
