Rains dumped by typhoon not enough to raise Magat level

Magat Dam —INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines — Super typhoon “Francisco” (international name: Mekkhala) might have brought rains to northern Luzon, but the downpour hardly made a dent to fill the receding water level at Magat Dam in Ramon, Isabela.

“Negative so far as we even have an average of 80-centimeter recession of water daily due to lack of heavy rains at the watershed,” Edwin Viernes, forecasting chief of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), told the Inquirer on Tuesday.

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“The typhoon would recurve, as [the weather bureau] Pagasa (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration) pointed out, and it barely brought an impact,” he said, referring to a pre-assessment meeting on Monday with Pagasa.FEATURED STORIES