2 Compostela villages declared unsafe for human settlement

In the wake of the recent landslides that practically wiped out a village in Compostela Valley, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) has declared two areas in the province “unsafe and unsuitable for human settlement.”

A team of MGB geologists in Region 11 looked into the recent landslides that killed at least 25 people and injured more than 20 others in Barangays Masara and Mainit in Maco, Compostela Valley last Sept. 6-7, and recommended that the villages be abandoned.

Noel Angeles, an environmental research specialist of MGB-Region 11 who led the team, said heavy rainfall triggered the tragedy, noting that the landslide occurred on the slopes adjacent to Masara River.

“The geological structure of the two barangays is covered by steep slopes, which are very susceptible to landslides during heavy rains. The soil surface in Masara is pyroclastic (lahar-like), and therefore prone to landslides,” he said. 

“Also, the narrow-alluvial plain of Masara River, which traverses Barangays Masara and Mainit, is no longer suitable for residential land use,” he added.

Angeles said the area is “a natural trap in the event of landslides and flash floods, making it very difficult for people to run to safer grounds when disaster strikes.”

Angeles said mining operations could not have triggered the landslide since the nearest small-scale mining operations are 1.5 kilometers away from the site.

Some environmental groups have insisted that unregulated mining in the area could have caused the landslide.

Prior to the landslide, the MGB had already issued two warnings and recommendations to the Maco municipal government to immediately relocate the residents in the area as it was seriously prone to landslides and flash floods.

The first warning was issued in September 2007, following a minor mass movement that occurred at Purok Riverside in Masara on Aug. 7 last year, killing five villagers.

The second warning and recommendation to vacate the village was issued to barangay officials and the Maco municipal government on March 29 this year after a joint team of the MGB and Apex Mining completed a geohazard mapping and assessment of the area.