BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya , Philippines – Magat Dam, one of Luzon’s major irrigation and power providers, regained its normal water level, thanks to the series of late afternoon rainfall since last week.
As of yesterday, the dam’s water level improved at 178.85 meters, or more than two meters above the normal level, said National Irrigation Administration engineer Saturnino Tenedor, also the dam’s flood forecasting and warning section chief.
Located along the Isabela-Ifugao border, the dam provides irrigation to at least 80,000 hectares of farmlands in Isabela and parts of Quirino and Cagayan. It had been below the normal level last March and April due to lack of rainfall.
Its water level reached an all-time low of 149 meters in July 1991.
The three-decade-old dam also generates 380 megawatts of power, making it the second biggest power provider among hydropower dams in Luzon.