Kanlaon Volcano May Still Trigger Lahar, Officials Warn
By Dolly Yasa BACOLOD CITY – Mudflows and muddy stream flows can still be expected if volcanic deposits from Mount Kanlaon’s recent eruptions have not been fully drained or washed away, an official said. Office of Civil Defense Western Visayas (OCD-WV) Regional Director Raul Fernandez told the Daily Guardian over the weekend that while the volume may be
By Staff Writer
By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD CITY – Mudflows and muddy stream flows can still be expected if volcanic deposits from Mount Kanlaon’s recent eruptions have not been fully drained or washed away, an official said.
Office of Civil Defense Western Visayas (OCD-WV) Regional Director Raul Fernandez told the Daily Guardian over the weekend that while the volume may be thinner, muddy flows remain a threat.
He said the May 23 mudflow had already carried away much of the earlier sediment.
“If there will be another eruption, it is most likely to trigger another lahar,” Fernandez warned.
He added that the May 13 eruption left pyroclastic density current (PDC) deposits on the Biak-na-Bato and Masulog sides of the volcano, which also experienced subsequent lahar.
Roads in Barangay Biak na Bato, La Castellana, Negros Occidental, were rendered impassable Friday night due to lahar and mudflow triggered by heavy rains.
According to Public Information Officer Remuel Lajo, the lahar overflowed from a creek in Sitio Tamburong after ashfall from the May 13 eruption was washed down by rainfall.
The debris blocked a bridge and the Biak na Bato Highway, prompting authorities to temporarily close the road to traffic.
Clearing operations were carried out Saturday by municipal workers, nearby local government volunteers, and teams from the Bureau of Fire Protection, Department of Public Works and Highways, and the Philippine Red Cross.
Due to continued rainfall, the OCD warned communities near waterways and low-lying areas to remain alert for possible lahar flow and flooding.
This followed a mudflow incident on Saturday along the Sitio Tamburong highway in Barangay Biak na Bato.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) also advised local disaster risk reduction councils to prepare for potential flash floods.
The OCD urged residents near Kanlaon Volcano to stay vigilant and exercise heightened caution.
“Public safety remains a top priority,” the agency said in an advisory.
Lahar flow was also monitored at the Intiguiwan River in Barangay Guinpanaan, Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental.
Alert Level 3, indicating magmatic unrest, remains in effect over Mount Kanlaon, according to OCD-WV.
Article Information
Comments (0)
LEAVE A REPLY
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts!
Related Articles
WHEN THE FUNDING STOPPED: How USAID’s collapse quietly dismantled years of environmental and media work in the Philippines
(This is a companion report to the cross-border investigation “How a campaign of ‘half-truths’ against USAID went global – and reached Asia.”) Victor Prodigo was three years into a five-year project when the money vanished. The veteran development consultant had spent more than two decades working on the ground
