11 years after, lahar threat still present

When lahar first began to make its deadly sweep and change the landscape surrounding Mt. Pinatubo in 1991, scientists estimated it would probably take at least 10 years for the mudslides to cease.

Eleven years later, fending off lahar’s devastating rampage remains a top government priority.

As the rainy season begins, towns in neighboring provinces are again bracing for lahar.

According to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the government is spending P4 billion – most of it in foreign loans – in Pampanga alone this year on measures to protect local residents from volcanic mudflows and severe flooding. Pampanga is one of the provinces hit hardest by lahar.

One of these measures is the repair of a major bridge in Porac town in Pampanga. Previous lahar flows had washed away part of the bridge, which links Porac to Angeles City. Cost of the project: P300 million.

Repair work on the Pasig-Potrero river segment of the so-called "megadike" – built in previous years to protect several towns in the province – is also being rushed. The Pasig-Potrero river is the most dangerous lahar channel emanating from Mt. Pinatubo. The repairs cost P463 million.

Repairs are also being undertaken at the segment of the megadike near the Gapan-San Fernando-Olongapo highway to prevent lahar from flowing into the Pasig-Potrero river and the low-lying areas of Bacolor, one of the hardest hit towns. The cost: P141 million.

Meanwhile, a Chinese construction company has been busy reinforcing the east bank of the Baluyut channel and raising the approaches of the Sta. Barbara bridge, connected to the megadike, to further protect Bacolor. The cost: P270 million.

On the other side of Bacolor, another construction company is making repairs on a dike meant to divert floodwaters to another river. The price tag: P276 million.

Elsewhere, a Chinese firm is dredging the San Francisco river in the town of Minalin to provide freer flow of floodwaters into Manila Bay. This will cost the government P900 million.

Meanwhile, another Chinese company is dredging the heavily silted Labuan channel to ease flooding. The price tag is P345 million.

However, the DPWH said all these projects are stopgap measures. As long as lahar keeps cascading down Mt. Pinatubo’s slopes and causes floods, the government will have to prepare for lahar’s onslaught every year before the rains come.