Magat Dam nears critical level

MANILA, Philippines - The water level in Magat Dam, one of Luzon’s major power and irrigation sources, dropped further yesterday, prompting authorities to limit irrigation supply to some of its service areas.

As of noon yesterday, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) said the water level of the dam’s reservoir along the Isabela-Ifugao boundary dropped to 162.91 meters or less than three meters above the dam’s minimum operational level to generate power.

NIA engineer Saturnino Tenedor, Magat’s instrumentation and forecasting officer, said the dam is at its critical level when it hits the 160-meter mark.

Authorities said the dam’s irrigation facility would be temporarily shut down if its water level reaches below 150 meters.

Magat Dam’s latest power shutdown occurred in March 2010, when its water level dropped to 152.7 meters. It recorded its all-time low of 149 meters in July 1991.  

Besides generating at least 380 megawatts of power for the Luzon grid, the second biggest power provider among hydro-dams in Luzon, the dam provides irrigation to at least 80,000 hectares of farmlands in Isabela and parts of Cagayan and Quirino.

Engineer Mariano Dancel, operations manager of NIA-Magat River Integrated Irrigation System, called on farmers in Isabela – one the country’s leading rice and corn-producing provinces – to use their irrigation supply wisely amid the dam’s limited water reserves.

The SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP), which owns and operates the dam’s power facility, said the dam is still capable of generating power although at a reduced level due to the continued drop of its water reserve.

In case the dam’s water reserves reach its critical level, priority will be given to irrigation supply over power generation, said Mike Hosillos, SNAP corporate communications officer.