Clearing operations are in full swing to remove roughly 28,000 cubic meters of volcanic debris from the Ibid Creek in Sitio Tamburong, Brgy. Biak-na-Bato, to prevent flooding.
Forester Philip Lechoncito, Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park operations superintendent officer-in-charge, said the debris, which accumulated from recent Kanlaon Volcano eruptions, is being stockpiled in a one-hectare property in Biak-na-Bato within the MKNP.
Since the debris comes from a protected area, it cannot be commercially sold or disposed of outside the park.
Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said the provincial government is assisting in the clearing operations by providing two backhoes, two dump trucks, and P1 million for fuel.
The clearing will continue until the creek reaches a depth of 30 feet and a width of about six meters, Diaz said, adding that it can be hastened if it does not rain.
“The clearing of the waterways cannot wait”, Diaz stressed.*
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