Floodwaters carrying volcanic debris from Mt. Kanlaon hit Brgy Biak-na-Bato, La Castellana in Un Negros Occidental, Sunday evening.* Remuel Lajo photo
The Negros Occidental provincial government is sending heavy equipment to La Castellana town to dredge waterways filled with hardened lahar from Kanlaon Volcano to prevent further flooding that is endangering lives and damaging homes, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Daiz said on Monday, Sept. 1.
Hardened lahar that has filled Ibid Creek in Sitio Tamburong, Brgy Biak-na-Bato, caused water carrying volcanic debris to overflow and seek an alternate path damaging about 30 houses on Sunday, Bel Ploteña Provincial Disaster Management Program Division (PDMPD) head, said.
A massive deposit of volcanic debris remains in the upper part of the creek, streaming directly from the volcano’s crater, Remuel Lajo, La Castellana information officer, said.
Heavy rain on Sunday that caused the creek to overflow forced 68 families (223 individuals) to evacuate. For their safety, the evacuees were not permitted to return home on Monday and were staying at the Biak-na-Bato covered court and barangay hall, Lajo said.
The overflow from Ibid Creek also affected Barangay Cabacungan, he said.
Two other barangays in La Castellana were also hit by flooding. This caused the evacuation of 17 families (55 individuals) in Barangay Robles and 20 families (85 individuals) in Brgy Sag-ang, Lajo said.
The Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park Protected Area Management Board passed a resolution in March for the clearing of waterways near the volcano of hardened lahar in anticipation of the La Niña rains.
Diaz said the provincial government will send backhoes, dump trucks, and an engineering team to the clogged creek in La Castellana on Tuesday to begin dredging.
The need to dredge these waterways is critical to save lives and homes during the ongoing rainy season, he said.
The materials removed from the creek will be stockpiled within the protected area of the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park. They cannot be removed from the area or sold for commercial use, Diaz said.
Personnel from the Negros Occidental Provincial Environment Management Office and the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office conducted an inspection to assess the extent of the flood damage on Monday, he said.
La Castellana Mayor Añejo Nicor, who also inspected the flood-hit areas, noted that the affected creek, which used to be about 12 meters deep, is now almost completely filled with lahar.
That is why the water was forced to find new paths, which is why the dredging of the creek is urgent amid the ongoing rainy season, he said.*
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