Magat Dam near spilling level again

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines – Authorities are on alert as the water level in Magat Dam remains critical amid heavy rains since last week.

No water has been released since Thursday, but the dam’s water level was at 192.80 meters, only .20 meters short of the dam’s spilling level, as of 1 p.m. yesterday.

The dam had released water in the past weeks but stopped two days ago when the weather cleared up.

The dam is not only the major source of irrigation for more than 80,000 hectares of farmlands in Isabela and parts of Cagayan and Quirino, it also generates some 350 megawatt of power, stabilizing the power needs in the Luzon grid.

The release of water from the dam raised fears of floods in low-lying areas of Isabela and Cagayan, where several villages are still reeling from last week’s floods spawned by heavy rains which left at least five people dead.