NIA: Magat Dam releases crucial to prevent catastrophic breach

The water releases from the Magat Dam during Typhoon Ulysses were crucial in maintaining the dam's integrity and preventing a catastrophic breach.

Engineer Carlo Ablan of NIA-Magat River Integrated Irrigation System stated that seven gates were opened on November 12 to prevent the reservoir from breaking, which could have caused even more devastating floods.

NIA Administrator Ricardo Visaya confirmed that if the dam had not released water, it would have broken at a spilling level of 193 meters above mean sea level, affecting millions of people in Cagayan and Isabela.

Despite criticism over the flooding caused by the dam's releases, PAGASA hydrologist Edgar Dela Cruz explained that two gates remained open due to the large volume of water entering the reservoir, emphasizing the difficulty in managing such high inflow.