• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Ash fall from gas emission of Mt. Kanlaon in Negros Island on Feb. 15 hit nine barangays of Bago City, Negros Occidental, where water rationing is now being implemented as spring water is no longer safe for drinking in some villages.
Affected were Ilijan, Ma-ao, Dulao, Binubuhan, Abuanan, Atipuluan, Tabunan, Bacong and Mailum.
City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officer Merijene Ortizo said Mailum was badly affected by the ash fall and spring water in the village has already been contaminated.
Mailum is a known tourist destination in Bago City because of its cool climate.
Water tankers were deployed by the provincial government and City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to provide drinking water to the affected residents.
Residents complaining of strong sulfuric smell were also provided with face masks by the local government unit.
On Saturday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported two ash eruptions at 2:32 p.m. and 5:55 pm, which lasted from four to eight minutes, based on the seismic and infrasound records.
The first ash eruption generated a grayish plume that rose as high as 1,500 meters while the second, at 700 meters above the crater, before drifting to west direction.
Prior to the two events, Phivolcs has measured a sulfur dioxide flux of 2,625 tonnes per day, which is below the medium-term average of 4,440 tonnes per day since June 3, 2024.
It also reported that degassing from the summit crater has been weak since the minor explosive eruption on Feb. 6.
The eastern upper slopes of the volcano have been undergoing inflation since Jan. 10 while inflation-deflation cycles have been observed on the western upper and eastern middle slopes.
This behavior likely resulted from occasional plugging and unplugging of the volcanic conduit, affecting degassing and eruptive activity, according to Phivolcs.
It also maintained Alert Level 3 for Kanlaon Volcano, indicating that magmatic unrest could generate similar ash emissions and even short-lived explosive eruptions in the short term, which may pose life-threatening hazards. | GB
