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Magat Dam in northern Luzon may face a reduction in water allocation for irrigating its palay-growing service areas, which comprise almost 86,000 hectares, as early as next month.

According to Edwin Viernes, acting head of the Flood Forecasting and Instrumentation Section of the Dam and Reservoir Division (DRD) of the National Irrigation Administration-Magat River Integrated Irrigation System, the expected continued drop in Magat’s water due to rainfall shortage may prompt a reduction.

“If there is no favorable inflow that can significantly boost water in the dam, a reduction in Magat’s allocation or irrigation diversion demand is likely,” he warned Tuesday, adding that water pouring into the facility is only around 75% of what it regularly receives.

However, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) forecasts only one or no tropical cyclone (TC) in the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) this month, indicating that a favorable inflow is unlikely anytime soon.

TCs are weather systems that can bring rain to Magat Dam’s catchment, increasing input and raising the water level significantly.

TCs that originate inside PAR during January either do not landfall in the Philippines or affect the Visayas’ eastern part -an region far from Magat- before dissipating or recurving and moving away from the nation, according to PAGASA data.

Despite Magat’s predicament, Viernes stated the irrigation allocation for this month is 160 cubic meters per second.

According to him, the allocation for Magat in January is normal due to strong demand for water irrigation to meet the needs of palay farmers.

He stated that while Magat may have a lower allocation next month, farming activities in certain areas will not be disrupted because the dam will still be able to supply water.

According to Viernes, the harvesting of palay plants in the area usually begins in late February.

The water level continues to drop due to a lack of rainfall in the Magat Dam’s watershed, according to DRD Flood Forecasting, Warning, and Hydrology Unit engineer-in-charge Arlen Alejandro.

“That watershed hasn’t had much rain in the last couple weeks,” she explained.

Alejandro expects Magat Dam’s water level to be about 180 meters on February 15, down from the 184.70-meter high water level reported by PAGASA for the dam at 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

The water level in the area was 191.60 meters at the same time last year, according to PAGASA.

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