Magat Dam falls below critical 160-meter mark

MANILA, Philippines — The water level at Magat Dam fell below the critical 160-meter mark on Wednesday, July 15, dropping to 159.97 meters as of 7 a.m.

Data from the Isabela Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council showed that the water level declined by 0.11 meter from 160.08 meters on Tuesday, July 14.

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However, the Magat River Integrated Irrigation System (MARIIS) reported that the dam’s water level recovered to the critical 160-meter mark as of 8 a.m. after rising by 0.03 meter.

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A hydroelectric and irrigation facility, Magat Dam generates 380 megawatts of power and irrigates about 90,000 hectares of rice land in Isabela, Cagayan and Quirino.

Last week, the National Irrigation Administration-MARIIS said the water level continued to decline because of the effects of El Niño.

READ: Dam Watch: Water levels dip in key dams as El Niño threat looms

NIA-MARIIS said that as a result, “irrigation water for farms is limited, and some agricultural lands will no longer be irrigated.”

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It encouraged communities with solar pump irrigation projects to use the systems wisely.

READ: LOOK: Magat Dam water level nears critical mark

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“Let us share the available water so that more farms can benefit. If there are other available sources of water for irrigation, we encourage farmers to make use of them,” NIA-MARIIS said.

It advised farmers to postpone farm work until sufficient irrigation water is assured “to avoid additional expenses and losses.”

NIA-MARIIS stressed that the water supply in the reservoir was “limited” and said it would continue implementing measures to manage the remaining irrigation supply.

The reservoir’s water level stood at 167.32 meters at 5 p.m. on June 25. By July 8, it had fallen by 6.63 meters amid prolonged dry conditions in Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya, one of the dam’s water sources.

The dam’s water level dropped from 166.64 meters on June 26 to 166.37 meters on June 27, 165.93 meters on June 28, 165.44 meters on June 29 and 164.56 meters on June 30.

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It declined further to 163.89 meters on July 1, 163.60 meters on July 2, 163.18 meters on July 3, 162.85 meters on July 4, 162.29 meters on July 5, 161.78 meters on July 6 and 161.19 meters on July 7.

The dam’s water level stood at 160.69 meters on July 8, 160.21 meters on July 9, 159.90 meters on July 10, 160.19 meters on July 11, 160.45 meters on July 12, 160.58 meters on July 13 and 160.08 meters on July 14. /dm