Magat dam in Nueva Ecija no longer in critical stage, says NIA

MANILA, July 29 (PNA) - Magat Dam in Nueva Ecija, the first major water reservoir in Luzon declared critical due to its low water level, is back to its normal level due to the rains experienced in the region and the rest of Luzon, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) said Wednesday.

NIA hydrologist Engr. Emmanuel Salamangka said the elevation Wednesday rose to 185.02 meters from Sunday’s 183.03 meters.

Salamangka said this 1.99-meter rise on the dam’s water level was the highest overnight increase since it hit its all-time low water level of 149.66 meters last March 30.

He said the water level in Magat dam started to go up on July 22 with a record of 178.50 meters from the 177.56 meters the previous day (July 21).

He said Magat dam’s power facility was forced to shut down last February 23, 2010 when the water elevation fell to 158.87 meter due to the long absence of rainfall, triggered by the El Nino phenomenon.

Aside from irrigating some 80,000 hectares of farmlands in Ifugao, Isabela, and parts of Cagayan, the Magat Dam contributes a maximum of 360 megawatts of electricity to the Luzon grid.

The water level in Angat Dam in Bulacan continues to rise as well. Angat dam breached its critical level of 160 meters last July 4.

The Angat dam, which supplies 97 percent of Metro Manila water needs, increased from 162.02 meters on Sunday to 162.29 meters Tuesday.

However, other major dams in Luzon are continuously showing low water levels namely Pantabangan in Nueva Ecija, and San Roque in Pangasinan. (PNA)
LAP/JCA