BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines – Isabela Gov. Faustino Dy III yesterday cleared the Magat Dam as the sole culprit of widespread flooding in the province amid recent typhoons “Pedring” and “Quiel,” which displaced more than 30,000 families.
Meanwhile, despite the continued release of water, the dam has again reached its spilling level of 193 meters due to continuous rainfall over the region, raising fears of prolonged flooding in the dam’s downstream areas, especially in Isabela.
Dy said the dam might have contributed to the floods but it was not solely to blame as there were also other major factors.
“We should not pin the blame on the dam since much of the floodwaters come from the Cagayan River which usually swells every time it rains because of heavy siltation along its upper stretches,” Dy said.
Built during the Marcos administration, the Magat Dam, once Asia’s biggest irrigation and hydropower facility, lies along the boundary of Isabela and Ifugao.
Besides being the major source of irrigation for some 80,000 hectares of farmlands in Isabela and parts of Quirino and Cagayan, the dam also generates 350 megawatts of power, making it the second largest power provider among hydro dams in Luzon.
The Magat Dam’s power facility was sold by the national government to the Norwegian-Filipino consortium SN Aboitiz Power in 2008 while its irrigation component remains under the state-run National Irrigation Administration (NIA).
Dy’s statement came as the provincial government of Bulacan was reportedly readying a class suit against the National Power Corp. (Napocor), which manages the Angat Dam, for causing widespread flooding in the province.
“I don’t know the situation in Bulacan but definitely, our situation in Isabela is not the same,” Dy said.
Dy said it is normal for Isabela to get flooded whenever it rains in the watershed areas of the Magat and Cagayan rivers, since Isabela is a catch basin of floodwaters coming from the southern part of the region, aside from being where the two rivers meet.
Besides, Dy said the Magat Dam management always makes gradual, controlled releases of water to prevent flooding. “They do not make unannounced releases,” he said.
Meanwhile, as of 6 a.m. yesterday, amid the continued rainfall, the dam’s water elevation was at 193.10 meters, already beyond the 193-meter spilling level, prompting authorities to continue releasing water.
Dam officials, however, said they were only gradually releasing excess water at controlled volumes so as not to precipitate flash floods downstream.
Mariano Dancel, manager of NIA’s Magat River Integrated Irrigation System, said the dam has a containment or catchment facility to control the flow of water.
“We always consider the situation and to the best we can, we control the spilling if we see that the Cagayan River is already bringing in too much water,” he said.