Kanlaon spews ash again; creek clearing may take a year
BACOLOD CITY—Mt. Kanlaon spewed ash for a second straight day on Wednesday, with scientists urging “continued vigilance” as clearing operations from previous eruptions were still far from over.
A 600-meter grayish plume rose above the crater between 5:10 a.m. and 5:30 a.m., drifting westward, Ptolemy Mañego, science research assistant at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Kanlaon Volcano Observatory in La Carlota City told the Inquirer.
A plume, he explained, is a mixture of volcanic particles emitted into the atmosphere from active vents.
Phivolcs also reported seven volcanic earthquakes and 1,248 tons of sulfur dioxide emissions on Wednesday.
Kanlaon remains under alert level 2 and “its various parameters are being closely monitored,” Mañego said.
On Tuesday, the volcano produced another ash event that lasted 55 minutes, generating a weaker plume at 75-meter tall.
Meanwhile, efforts continue to address the impact of hardened ash that blocked waterways.
Major concern
Negros Occidental provincial administrator Rayfrando Diaz confirmed on Wednesday that hardened ash, which clogged a culvert box at Ibid Creek in Barangay Biak na Bato, La Castellana town, had been removed.
However, the rest of the creek remains a major concern.
“The clearing of the hardened ash from the rest of the creek to prevent future flooding could take more than a year,” said Remuel Lajo, La Castellana incident management team commander, in a separate interview.
Lajo said about 28,000 cubic meters of volcanic debris must be cleared from Ibid Creek, but only 808 cubic meters had been removed so far. He noted that one of two payloaders sent by the provincial government had already bogged down.
“The provincial government has also sent three dump trucks to help in the clearing operations,” he said.
Lajo warned that “there is still more volcanic debris that could also be washed down if there is heavy rain,” stressing that “more heavy equipment and dump trucks are needed to hasten the work.”
