Isabela under state of calamity due to dry spell

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya , Philippines  – Isabela has been placed under a state of calamity amid the worsening effects of the dry spell in the province.

In its resolution Monday, the Isabela provincial board approved placing the entire province under a state of calamity as the dry spell continued to wreak havoc on thousands of hectares of farmlands in the country’s leading corn and rice-producing province. 

“We have already approved the declaration of a state of calamity throughout the province. But we still have to determine (the) amount we will be allocating to fund measures (to cushion the effects of the dry spell),” said Vice Gov. Ramon Reyes.

Reyes, who presides over the provincial board, said Gov. Grace Padaca is expected to sign their resolution anytime soon.

The declaration came as corn farms and rice fields in Isabela and elsewhere in Cagayan Valley continued to dry up.

Dr. Danilo Tumamao, Isabela provincial agriculture officer, said the province so far has already lost at least P400 million and P100 million worth of corn and palay, respectively.

Damage to corn crops alone, he said, already represents more than 30 percent or 42,273 metric tons of the expected corn output in the province this cropping season.

According to the Department of Agriculture in the region, Cagayan Valley, as of the latest damage assessment report, has already lost at least P725 million worth of crops due to the weather phenomenon.

Meanwhile, the water at the Magat Dam along the Isabela-Ifugao border continued to drop to alarming levels, making the temporary closure of its power plant inevitable in the next few weeks.

As of the latest measurement, the dam’s water level further dropped to 166 meters or a decrease of one meter from last Sunday’s 167.6 meters or from last week’s 171.195 meters.

Filipino-Norwegian consortium SN Aboitiz Power, which now owns and operates the dam’s power generation facility, said Magat’s minimum operational level for it to continue generating additional power for the Luzon grid should be 160 meters.