The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) issued a warning on Thursday about the possibility of lahars, or volcanic mudflows, around the southern slopes of Mount Kanlaon due to strong thunderstorms over Negros Island.
PHIVOLCS issued an advisory at midnight advising Negros inhabitants to watch weather conditions and take preventative action, especially those living along rivers that drain into southern Kanlaon.
According to the organization, “lahars can threaten communities along the middle and lower slopes with inundation, burial, and washout.”
According to PHIVOLCS, the rain on Wednesday resulted in flows of volcanic sediment on Kanlaon’s southern slopes. Lahars were initially noticed about 1:00 p.m. It was twenty-five minutes long.
Lahars left behind gravel, plant debris, and cohesive and gray mud in four waterways:
- Tamburong Creek passes through La Castellana’s Biak-na-bato and Calapnagan.
- The Intiguiwan River flows through Cabacungan, La Castellana, affecting Guinpanaan and upstream of the Baji-Baji Falls.
- Masulog, Canlaon City is home to Padudusan Falls.
- The Kanlaon Volcano’s southern flank is drained by the Binalbagan River.
Volcanic mudflows largely stayed inside PHIVOLCS’s channels, with the exception of Tamburong Creek.
“A section of the main road in Biak-na-Bato was rendered impassable for motorists due to overflowing Tamburong Creek flows and the deposit of a few centimeters,” the advice stated.
Following Monday night’s eruption of the volcano that sent a five-kilometer-tall cloud of ash skyward, Kanlaon has been placed on Alert Level 2, a sign of growing instability.
In the previous 24 hours, PHIVOLCS monitored 27 volcanic earthquakes in Kanlaon. The ash plume from the volcano reached a height of 1.5 kilometers.
In Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, about 1,669 people had to be evacuated because to the “explosive” eruption of Kanlaon.
In order to help the impacted residents, the government has given P2.1 million.
