Volcanic debris slows La Castellana creek clearing

By Dolly Yasa

LA CASTELLANA, Negros Occidental – Clearing operations at Ibid Creek in Sitio Tamburong, Barangay Biaknabato, may take over a year as volcanic debris continues to block the natural flow of water.

Incident Commander Remuel Lajo of the La Castellana Incident Management Team (IMT) said only 808 cubic meters of sand and stone were removed in the first week of operations.

He noted that this is just a small portion of the estimated 28,000 cubic meters of volcanic sediment deposited in the creek.

“The volume of sand is still massive, and it poses a potential landslide risk once heavy rains occur,” Lajo said.

He added that limited heavy equipment and dump trucks are slowing down the removal of debris to the Mount Kanlaon Natural Park (MKNP) compound.

A payloader provided by the provincial government broke down during the initial clearing activities.

Currently, the provincial government has deployed two heavy equipment units and three dump trucks, with one additional truck coming from the municipal government.

Lajo expressed hope that more resources will be allocated soon to accelerate the operation.

Earlier, the Negros Occidental provincial government intensified its efforts to clear roads and dredge river channels affected by hardened lahar deposits in La Castellana.

Provincial Administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz II said two backhoes and two dump trucks have been deployed to assist in the removal and hauling of volcanic materials from Mount Kanlaon.

Recent flooding in Barangay Biaknabato was caused by the overflowing of Tamburong Creek, which remains clogged with hardened volcanic debris.