DENR to re-assess sinkhole

CEBU, Philippines - The Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources will revisit and re-inspect the sinkhole that formed in Kinatarcan Island in Bantayan town tomorrow.

DENR spokesperson Eddie Llamedo said they would need to determine if the sinkhole is “extending widely or deeply” so they can make the appropriate recommendation to the local government of Santa Fe and to the officials of Barangay Kinatarcan. 

MGB chief geologist Al Emil Berador said that eight older sinkholes that may have developed years ago were also found during an inspection on July 29.

The eight sinkholes are scattered in Barangays Hagdan, Langub and Kinatarcan with the biggest hole measuring 60 meters by 50 meters with a depth of less than a meter.

MGB-7 has advised against the construction of houses and other structures near the sinkholes. The agency also said that the sinkholes should not be used as garbage pits because they might be connected to river systems and the garbage can contaminate water sources.

As ordered by MGB-7 Director Loreto Alburo, Aleta will update locals on the latest findings on the sinkholes and identify possible relocation sites.

At the Capitol, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) chief Baltazar Tribunalo Jr. said the team will be there to deepen the study and its more on the technical and social impact of the sinkhole.

Aside from this, DENR also wants to identify relocation sites during storm surges like the ones residents of Kinatarcan experienced during the onslaught of super typhoon Yolanda last year.

DENR-7 Executive Director Isabelo Montejo has directed CENRO chief Carmen Roldan Cotejo to determine possible areas that can be converted into beach forest and mangrove plantations to protect the islet from storm surges. — (FREEMAN)