The Magat Hydroelectric and Irrigation Plant in Isabela-Ifugao has gone down below minimum operational level in order to generate power for Luzon. As of the last week, the water level has reached a critical 167.6 meters where the lowest recorded level before was 180 meters. The minimum operational level for the plant is 160 meters.
According to Engr. Melvyn Eugenio, manager of Magat Power Plant, which is owned by Filipino-Norwegian consortium SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP), the latest figure they have on record is 157 meters. If the level continues to decline, the plant will be forced to temporarily stop operations since the dam’s turbines would not be able to generate power below that level.
Meanwhile, the drought has already caused damage to crops in Cagayan Valley amounting to Php725 million where 70,000 hectares of cornfield and 10,000 hectares rice field are affected by El Nino. The Department of Agriculture in said region is considering cloud seeding in order to lessen the impact of dry spell.
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