Cagayan Valley has experienced the worst flooding in 40 years in the aftermath of Typhoon Ulysses after water from nearby provinces and the Magat Dam drained into its territory.
Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba questioned the way the watershed is being run.
“At kinukuwestiyon ko nga rin yung watershed nila dahil kung mismanaged yung watershed nila (And I’m questioning the watershed because if it is mismanaged), there is no way that you could also manage the water coming down and the water being released.”
The National Irrigation Authority (NIA) insisted that it followed protocols before releasing water from Magat. Proper coordination was
made with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC), PAGASA, Regional Agricultural Fisheries Extension Network group and other concerned local government offices “prior, during and after water releases.”
The National Irrigation Administration-Magat River Integrated Irrigation System (NIA-MARIIS) said that it advised residents of the Provinces of Isabela and Cagayan of its water release from the Magat Reservoir “to maintain safe water level of the Magat Dam on Monday, November 9, 2020, two (2) days before Typhoon Ulysses made its first landfall in Patnanungan, Quezon at 10:30 PM of November 11, 2020).”
Before the onslaught of Typhoon “Ulysses,” 5 typhoons hit Luzon that affected Cagayan Valley. Almost 2 months of continuous rain caused the increase of water inflow in the Magat watershed.
The NIA pointed out that it was necessary to release water from the reservoir for purposes of “preventing the dam from reaching its critical level of 193 msl that may compromise its structural integrity and may result to a catastrophe to nearby municipalities and more impact on a widespread flooding in Region II.”
In the dam level water update of PAGASA, Monday morning, the level of water in Magat Dam was at 192.18 meters leaving one gate open. – Report from Bea Bernardo
