Post by karlimacalam on Jul 19, 2005 9:15:38 GMT 8
July 17, 2005
Updated 10:09pm (Mla time)
Jhunnex Napallacan
Inquirer News Service
CEBU CITY-At least 19 more families were evacuated in Barangay Mayana in Jagna, Bohol as deep soil cracks reached the houses beside the national highway going to the nearby town of Sierra Bullones.
Jagna Mayor Exutero Lloren yesterday said town officials were alarmed by the continued soil movement and felt helpless.
"We could not do anything except to monitor the area and evacuate the affected residents," Lloren said.
He sent dump trucks to Barangay Mayana on Friday afternoon after the barangay chair asked for assistance in relocating 19 families or over 100 people, and their belongings to the barangay hall, he said.
The evacuation of the 19 families brought to 29 the number of families affected by the soil movement. Those in the first batch had to be moved on July 11 after their houses were destroyed when the land gave way.
Lloren said the municipal council declared a state of calamity in Mayana on Wednesday so they could release part of the town's calamity fund to assist the affected families.
The municipal and provincial governments will extend P10,000 each to the affected families, aside from providing them with rice and canned goods, he said.
He said he would no longer allow residents to build houses in the area because of the risk of another cave-in or landslide.
He said the national highway was not yet affected by the deep cracks, but the houses beside the road were in grave danger of falling into the widening cracks.
The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources recommended to Jagna officials a permanent evacuation of the families affected in last Monday's landslide.
Al Emil Berador, MGB's Geo-Sciences Division chief, said the landslide and cracks of soil were seen in some 50 hectares of land in Mayana.
Berador said the movement of the soil still continued and they even heard the movements when they went to the area.
Berador and other geologists of MGB-7 visited the barangay on Thursday to investigate why the big portion of the village caved in on Monday noon.
He said the cracks started in the forested and slightly sloping ground where the main landslide happened.
Berador explained that the affected area was sitting on the debris of an old landslide that had already stabilized for years.
But because of the recent heavy downpour, the soil became unstable again, resulting to massive soil slide.
He said they also found out that the ground of the affected area was made of limestone. The limestone lies above mudstones, sandstones and siltstones, which might soften when saturated by water, he added.
"With the softened foundation of the limestone ground, it would cave in," Berador said.
©2005 www.inq7.net all rights reserved
Updated 10:09pm (Mla time)
Jhunnex Napallacan
Inquirer News Service
CEBU CITY-At least 19 more families were evacuated in Barangay Mayana in Jagna, Bohol as deep soil cracks reached the houses beside the national highway going to the nearby town of Sierra Bullones.
Jagna Mayor Exutero Lloren yesterday said town officials were alarmed by the continued soil movement and felt helpless.
"We could not do anything except to monitor the area and evacuate the affected residents," Lloren said.
He sent dump trucks to Barangay Mayana on Friday afternoon after the barangay chair asked for assistance in relocating 19 families or over 100 people, and their belongings to the barangay hall, he said.
The evacuation of the 19 families brought to 29 the number of families affected by the soil movement. Those in the first batch had to be moved on July 11 after their houses were destroyed when the land gave way.
Lloren said the municipal council declared a state of calamity in Mayana on Wednesday so they could release part of the town's calamity fund to assist the affected families.
The municipal and provincial governments will extend P10,000 each to the affected families, aside from providing them with rice and canned goods, he said.
He said he would no longer allow residents to build houses in the area because of the risk of another cave-in or landslide.
He said the national highway was not yet affected by the deep cracks, but the houses beside the road were in grave danger of falling into the widening cracks.
The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources recommended to Jagna officials a permanent evacuation of the families affected in last Monday's landslide.
Al Emil Berador, MGB's Geo-Sciences Division chief, said the landslide and cracks of soil were seen in some 50 hectares of land in Mayana.
Berador said the movement of the soil still continued and they even heard the movements when they went to the area.
Berador and other geologists of MGB-7 visited the barangay on Thursday to investigate why the big portion of the village caved in on Monday noon.
He said the cracks started in the forested and slightly sloping ground where the main landslide happened.
Berador explained that the affected area was sitting on the debris of an old landslide that had already stabilized for years.
But because of the recent heavy downpour, the soil became unstable again, resulting to massive soil slide.
He said they also found out that the ground of the affected area was made of limestone. The limestone lies above mudstones, sandstones and siltstones, which might soften when saturated by water, he added.
"With the softened foundation of the limestone ground, it would cave in," Berador said.
©2005 www.inq7.net all rights reserved