By Emil G. Gamos
MALOLOS CITY, Bulacan, Jan 11 (PNA) –As government engineers inspected bridges and other infrastructures in the province following the Magnitude 6.0 earthquake that jolted Luzon early Sunday morning, Governor Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado once again reiterated his call for the immediate repair and fortification of the aging Angat dam in the mountains of Norzagaray town.
At the same time, Alvarado also called on concerned authorities to make a thorough inspection of the 47 years old rock-filled dam and determined its structural integrity following the latest earthquake that was felt in some areas in this province.
He said that the new owners and operator of the Angat Dam Hydro Electric Power Plant, Korean Water (K Water), should begin at the soonest possible time the repair and rehabilitation of the aging dam which was turned over to them by the Philippine government last Nov. 1, 2014.
Under its contract with the Philippine Government, the K Water should be the ones which should conduct the repair and rehabilitation of Angat dam.
“We are beginning to sound like a broken record but until the aging Angat dam is repaired and strengthened, it will always be like the proverbial “Sword of Damocles” hanging over our heads,” Alvarado said.
Meanwhile, engineers from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) inspected the still under repair Gen. Alejo Santos Bridge that links the towns of Baliwag and Bustos after early Sunday morning quake that jolted Luzon island.
It can be recalled that the said bridge was closed for repair last November 14 after suffering cracks and wear and tear.
Only light vehicles are allowed to pass at present and since there was an earthquake, the DPWH immediately sent a team to inspect its structural integrity.
DPWH engineers said it is still passable to light vehicles but will still conduct a series of inspection on Monday.
The quake’s epicenter is located 13 kilometers southeast of San Antonio, Zambales with a depth of 85 kilometers according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). (PNA)