Disaster looms at Mt. Mayapay

BUTUAN CITY — Mt. Mayapay, which towers over this city and nearby towns of Agusan del Norte, is another disaster area in the making due to the destructive practices of local folk, environmentalists and geologists warned.

Underscoring this warning were the findings of geomorphologist Ruben Javelosa, the Calo-Lasam Environment Associates and other geologists whom the government had commissioned to conduct an ecological study of Mt. Mayapay.

According to the study, kaingin (slash-and-burn farming), firewood gathering and quarrying over the years on Mt. Mayapay have deteriorated the water-holding capacity and eroded the soil of the vast mountain.

Private forester Benjie Lasam, spokesman of the UP Alumni Association Inc. Butuan chapter, one of the groups actively involved in preserving Mt. Mayapay, told The STAR that his group and the Butuan Global Forum Inc. have informed the city government and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) about their findings.

He said they hope that the authorities would take immediate action to save city residents from a potential disaster, similar to what destroyed Barangay Guinsaugon in Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte last Feb. 17.

Lasam is one of the major incorporators of Calo-Lasam Environment Associates, which is composed of environmental experts, geologists, engineers and foresters which forged an agreement with the Butuan Global Forum for an ecological profiling of Mt. Mayapay.

On the other hand, the Butuan Global Forum is a socio-civic group composed mostly of former Butuan residents who now reside overseas.

The group has signed a memorandum of agreement with the DENR for a joint ecological program for the 18,642-hectare Mt. Mayapay.

Mt. Mayapay, which straddles nearly half of this city, has an elevation of 719 meters above sea level and a total land area of 18,642 hectares.

"That’s more than enough for another landslide disaster which buried the whole barangay of Guinsaugon and erased it from the map," said engineer Franklin Calo, who holds a masteral degree in Environmental Studies and a major associate of Calo-Lasam Environmental Associates.

"Some parts of the Butuan City side of the huge mountain are mini watershed areas which have a huge volume of water over the years and this poses grave danger because kaingin and the cutting of trees for fuel within the watershed areas have deteriorated the water-holding capacity of Mayapay," he said.

Lasam said their geological study revealed that an earthquake with an intensity of 5 to 6 is enough to trigger a destructive landslide.

The regional office of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau has identified 157 barangays in the Caraga region, including those at the foot or near Mt. Mayapay, as landslide-prone areas. — Ben Serrano