Magat Dam’s water level up

ILAGAN, Isabela – The series of cloud seeding operations, reinforced by two days of natural rainfall spawned by tropical storm “Chedeng,” somehow improved the water level at the Magat Dam in Ramon, Isabela.

Edwin Pasion, flood forecasting control officer of the National Irrigation Administration here, said Magat’s water level has gone up by one meter from its critical mark in the past two weeks.

Magat Dam, which provides irrigation to at least 100,000 hectares of farmlands in Isabela and parts of Quirino and Cagayan, reached its lowest water level recently – the first time in seven years. 

The more-than-two-decade-old Magat Dam, once Asia’s biggest, also provides 500 megawatts of electricity to the Luzon grid.  

The heavy rainfall that hit Nueva Vizcaya and parts of Isabela in the last two days has drenched irrigated and rainfed farmlands, giving hopes to thousands of farmers that everything would be back to normal after almost two months of drought.

Dr. Gumersindo Lasam, Cagayan Valley director of the Department of Agriculture, said they have been conducting cloud seeding operations since last week to create artificial rainfall so as to cushion the impact of the prolonged dry spell in the region, which is now practically under a state of calamity.

“Three planes have been crisscrossing the region since two weeks ago doing the cloud seeding, and then it rained. Whether the rains came from the cloud seeding or from natural causes, I think that is immaterial. I think you will agree that we are all rejoicing with the farmers about this,” Lasam said.

The region has lost about P1 billion worth of agricultural crops due to the dry spell. Its four provinces – Isabela, Cagayan, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino – account for at least 40 percent of the country’s palay and corn production.