Water levels in 8 Luzon dams continue to drop

The water levels in eight dams in Luzon continue to decrease due to lack of rainfall in their watersheds.

As of 6 a.m. yesterday, the water level in Angat Dam was at 211.21 meters or 0.19 meters lower than its previous level.

The water elevation was also below its normal high level of 210 meters.

The water level in Ipo Dam dropped by 0.12 meters compared to its previous level of 98.05 meters. It was below its normal high level of 101 meters.

The water level in Ambuklao Dam in Benguet was at 751.35 meters, which decreased by .03 meters; San Roque Dam in Pangasinan, .31 meters lower at 251.43 meters; and Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija, .26 meters lower at 193.50 meters.

In Isabela, the water level in Magat Dam was at 185.11 meters or .26 meters lower compared to its previous level.

The water elevation in Caliraya Dam in Laguna was at 287.18 meters, which was 0.27 meters lower than its previous level.

In La Mesa Dam in Quezon City, the water level was down by .12 meters compared to its previous elevation of 78.77 meters.

National Irrigation Administration head Eduardo Guillen said farmers in Central Luzon were affected by inadequate supply of irrigation water.

Guillen cited irrigation water from Pantabangan Dam, which he said is ”not enough.”

”As early as October 2023, we talked to farmers identified to be hit by El Niño to shift to high-value crops,” he said.

Meanwhile, damage to agriculture in Western Visayas and Zamboanga peninsula due to El Niño has reached P109 million, according to the Department of Agriculture.

The DA said 2,177 hectares of rice fields were affected in the two regions, with production losses of 4,738 metric tons. –