Col. Joven Ronan, chief of the PAF Tactical Operations Group 2 based in Cauayan City, said the team could not find clouds suitable for seeding because of the unpredictable weather.
Ronan said the team had made 24 sorties, flying almost daily on Cessna LC-210 aircraft since February. But the operations failed to induce strong rains in agricultural areas in Cagayan Valley.
DA regional director Andrew Villacorta said the decision to stop seeding operations were made by DA and PAF officials on the recommendation of the involved personnel.
“Based on their experience, at this time the seedable clouds are rare… Our weather is really very unpredictable,” Villacorta said.
He said the DA had set aside P5 million for seeding operations in the region. SN-Aboitiz, the firm running Magat Dam in this town, contributed P1.8 million for operations in the dam area.
He could not say how much had actually spent before the operations were stopped last week.
While the cold front brought light rains in coastal areas and some towns in Cagayan Valley on Friday, the volume of rainfall failed to raise the water level of Magat Dam.
Saturnino Tenedor, the dam and reservoir division chief, said that while there were rains in the dam’s watershed area in Lagawe, Ifugao, the water level at the reservoir continued to drop.
The water at the reservoir measured 152.74 meters above sea level on Friday, way below its maximum level of 193 masl.
David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer
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