Phivolcs to install tsunami detection system

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) will install additional tide gauges  in various parts of the country next year, officials said yesterday.

Phivolcs director Renato Solidum said the 19 tide gauges, which were used to measure sea level and detect tsunami, were developed and donated by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

“It can help save the lives of people in the tsunami’s path,” Solidum told reporters on the sidelines of the 10th General Assembly of the Asian Seismological Commission in Makati City.

A tsunami is a series of sea waves commonly generated by undersea earthquakes, which could be higher than five meters.

Phivolcs said Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, Bataan, Zambales, Batangas, Cavite, Quezon, Mindoro Island, Palawan, Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Sorsogon, Aklan, Antique, Guimaras, Iloilo and Negros Occidental are among the tsunami-prone provinces.

Bohol, Negros Oriental, Siquijor, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Leyte Island, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi are also prone to tsunami, Phivolcs said.

Solidum said the agency also plans to install 300 earthquake intensity meters throughout the county in the next three years.

He said the sensors, which were also donated by JICA,  would give a more accurate information on where and when a landslide or  tsunami could occur.