Landslide path in 3 Central Luzon provinces identified

SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga — The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) has alerted local officials on the results of its new "geohazards" study indicating that populated areas in Aurora, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija are in the path of potential landslides.

The MGB urged residents in the three provinces to prepare for immediate evacuation in case of heavy rains.

Perla Collado, spokesperson of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Central Luzon, said that affected areas are eight barangays in Aurora, five in Tarlac, and four in Nueva Ecija. Most of these areas have already been devastated by landslides during the heavy rains in November and December last year.

"The MGB has conducted geological assessment in these areas and we have come up with geohazard maps identifying areas that are very risky to human settlement especially now that the rainy season has set in," said Arnulfo Cabantog, MGB director for Central Luzon.

MGB senior geologist Rick Rodel Luis said his office has launched an information campaign to make residents of the affected areas aware of the danger they are facing. "If the people know that they are living on literally dangerous grounds, we can easily convince them to move out or relocate themselves to a safer place," he said.

Collado identified the landslide-endangered barangays as Villa Aurora in Aurora town; Dimanayat and Diteki in San Luis, Paltik, Kapanpakan, Tanawan; Davilan in Dingalan; and Amper in Dipaculao, all in Aurora province; Barangays Maamot, Sula, Iba, and Lubigan in San Jose in Tarlac, and; Tagumpay, Bagong Sikat, and Malinao in Gabladon and Labi in Bongabon in Nueva Ecija.

Collado could not immediately say how many persons live in these areas, but noted that they number by the thousands.

"We have already issued warnings to the local officials of these areas and asked them to conduct information drive to urge residents to be vigilant in watching out for signs of a pending landslide," Collado said.

The MGB has so far finished its geohazard assessment in the three provinces and is now conducting more studies in other provinces in Central Luzon.

Cabantog noted that Barangay Paltik in Dingalan has been identified by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) to be " lying within the active segments of Philippine fault zone which is characterized by intensely fractured rock formation making it very vulnerable to future catastrophes particularly during periods of heavy rainfall."

Collado said that some of the signs of a pending landslide during heavy downpour include swelling of the ground due to water saturation and drying up of a waterway despite strong rains.

Last year, the provinces of Aurora, Quezon and Nueva Ecija were severely devastated when typhoons Winnie, Violeta and Yoyong struck the place causing flashfloods and landslides which destroyed millions worth of properties and killed hundreds of people.