• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Negros Occidental provincial government is considering seeking assistance from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to speed up the clearing of volcanic debris at Tamburong Creek in Barangay Biak na Bato, La Castellana.
“Maybe, we can consider that,” Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Thursday (Sept. 11).
He admitted that it may take time to remove the debris due to lack of equipment for the clearing operation and also due to the expected weather disruptions.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office reported that 976 cubic meters of accumulated volcanic sediments out of an estimated 28,000 cubic meters have been extracted from the creek as of Sept. 10.
After two events of ash emission of Mt. Kanlaon on Sept. 8 and 10 were followed by rains, grayish water from the upper portion of the volcano again flowed into Tamburong Creek, where the clearing operation is ongoing.
On the possibility that more heavy equipment will be deployed in La Castellana, Lacson said: “We can’t just focus on one area. Other areas are also requesting for it.
We are doing our utmost best to clear the (lahar) area”.
Remuel Lajo, commander of La Castellana Incident Management Team, said he expects that debris from upstream would refill the cleared areas should there be heavy rains. | GB
