RAMON, Isabela: Due to little or no rain falling in Nueva Vizcaya and Ifugao provinces, the Magat Dam reservoir is on the verge of drying up as the water level decreases by an average of half a meter per day.

Continuous monitoring by the National Irrigation Administration-Magat River Integrated Irrigation System (NIA-Mariis) shows a decrease of 9.66 meters in 19 days since June 1.

NIA-Mariis recorded the Magat Dam reservoir water level at 183.65 meters on June 1 at 5 a.m., dropping to 173.99 meters on June 19 at 2 p.m.

However, NIA-Mariis officials said the Magat Dam is still operational at its present water level and that the water level of 160 meters was the minimum operational level for the dam to continue generating power.

In July 1991, the nearly four-decade-old dam recorded an all-time low of 149 meters due to a prolonged drought.

Located along the Isabela-Ifugao border, the Magat Dam is the second biggest power provider among hydro dams in Luzon, contributing at least 380 megawatts of electricity to the Luzon grid.

The Magat Dam can also irrigate at least 80,000 hectares of farmland in Isabela and Quirino provinces and Alfonso Lista town in Ifugao.

NIA-Mariis, which oversees Magat's irrigation component, has to resort to irrigation on a rotational basis whenever the dam's water reserves dwindle.

Also, SN Aboitiz Power, which owns and operates the dam's power component, has to operate at a reduced capacity due to dropping water reserves.

In March 2010, Magat Dam shut down its power generation, affecting the entire Luzon grid when its water level dropped to 152.7 meters.