BACOLOD CITY — The Office of Civil Defense-Negros Island Region (OCD-NIR) clarified Friday that no dam has been identified or confirmed around Kanlaon Volcano amid social media reports about a possible dam collapse that caused fear and concern among nearby communities.
The agency advised the public to remain calm and rely only on verified information from authorities.
OCD-NIR and concerned agencies are conducting an aerial survey to determine whether recent volcanic activity and monsoon rains have caused waterway obstructions or temporary debris damming that could contribute to downstream flooding.
The assessment came after 27 families, or 92 individuals, were evacuated Tuesday when Ibid Creek in Barangay Biak na Bato, La Castellana, Negros Occidental, overflowed amid continuous light rain.
The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) said volcanic debris from Kanlaon Volcano had been swept downstream by strong currents, causing floodwaters to reach the residential area of Sitio Tamburong.
Initial findings indicated that the strong upstream current may have found an alternative path after the creek overflowed because of sediment and mud accumulated in the waterway from volcanic activity, eventually diverting the flow toward nearby houses.
In a media interview, OCD-NIR Director Donato Sermeno III said 24 families, or 71 individuals, from Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, were preemptively evacuated because continuous rains caused muddy streamflow from the upland area.
Sermeno said the OCD tapped the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to assist in the aerial survey and verify whether accumulated volcanic debris and rainwater had created any temporary blockage or artificial damming around the volcano’s upper slopes.
Kanlaon Volcano remained under Alert Level 2, or increased unrest, as of Sept. 17, with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology maintaining a 4-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone around the volcano.
PHIVOLCS said hazards under Alert Level 2 include possible sudden steam-driven or phreatic eruptions and precursory magmatic activity.
Sermeno advised communities, particularly those near waterways and other hazard-prone areas, to remain vigilant and coordinate closely with local officials. (Glazyl M. Jopson via tdg photo by tdg)