Magat Dam water level above normal

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines – Heavy rains have raised the water level in Magat Dam, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) said yesterday.

The dam’s water level reached 182.80 meters, more than six meters above the normal level as of 5 a.m. yesterday, said Rodolfo Mejia, NIA chief engineer.

Mejia said the inflow came from Ibulao River in Ifugao and Magat River in Nueva Vizcaya.

He said the dam’s reservoir has enough water to generate power and provide irrigation even beyond the planting season.

“The dam’s water elevation has been attributed to the series of late afternoon rainfall all over the region, especially along the dam’s major watershed in Nueva Vizcaya and Ifugao for the past two weeks,” Mejia said.

 Magat Dam irrigates more than 80,000 hectares of farmlands in Isabela and some parts of Cagayan and Quirino.

It also generates 380 megawatts of electricity for the Luzon grid, the second biggest power source among Luzon based hydro-dams.