ISABELA—The Magat Dam has begun releasing water in preparation for the heavy rain brought by Typhoon Karen (international name: Sarika).

At around 9 a.m. Saturday, one of the dam’s spillway gates was opened open by one meter, releasing water of about 329 cubic meter per second or more than 1, 600 drums.

This is a precautionary measure to prevent the accumulation of water until the spilling level, according to the flood forecasting and warning division.

At 11 a.m., the water level at Magat Dam was already 187.87 meters, just a few meters shy of its spilling level of 193 meters.

The outflow, however, is being retained in the impounding area and is unlikely to affect the Magat River.

More water is expected to be released in the coming hours.

Based on rainfall forecast, Karen is expected to bring 33 to 55 millimeters of rain in the dam’s watershed area by Sunday.

The dam’s administration plans to release about 3,000 cubic meters per second or 15, 000 drums of water.

Residents near Magat River have been advised to be on alert and to prepare for potential flooding.

Among the areas that will be affected are San Mateo, Aurora, Cabatuan, Luna, Reina Mercedes, Gamu and Burgos.

The local government is now enforcing a liquor ban and a no sail policy as precautionary measures.