The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has been using artificial intelligence (AI) for weather forecasting to help predict rainfall levels and to minimize the impact of dam water releases on low-lying communities, an official of NIA said on Tuesday.

In a virtual press briefing, NIA Administrator Eduardo Guillen said the NIA is now following a protocol for releasing water from major dams, such as Angat and Ipo, noting that the agency advises the public at least two to three hours prior to releasing water.

“Mayroon kasing ginagamit ang NIA ngayon na itong ating advanced weather forecasting system na may AI technology. Two weeks nape-predict na po namin kung magre-release kami ng tubig o hindi dito sa ating malalaking dam dito sa Magat and Pantabangan,” Guillen said.

The NIA Administrator emphasized that releasing water from dams is necessary to maintain their structural integrity.

Guillen said that in releasing water, NIA follows a standard operating procedure that includes coordinating with local government units (LGUs) and issuing advisories through social media, its primary platform for informing residents in low-lying areas of an impending release.

Guillen noted that for major dams such as Pantabangan, Magat, and Jalaur, advisories on water releases are issued well in advance—typically four days to one week ahead.

“May radio station na po ang NIA under ng PBS, so mas maganda na po iyong ating warning forecast, warning system ngayon,” he added.

Guillen said that, despite the continuous downpour, the fact that high dams under NIA have not had to release water is encouraging.

Only Ipo dam, which supplies potable water to Metro Manila, has so far released water, he said. | PND