Land cracks in Bohol town worsen

SIERRA-BULLONES, BOHOL, Philippines  — The land cracks that appeared in February this year at barangay Magsaysay and neighboring barangays of this hinterland town have worsened and is now wrecking havoc to infrastructure and residential houses.

This was revealed by Leonilo Lafuente, OIC of the Bohol Environment Management Office (BEMO), to the media the other day after an inspection of the affected sites last week.

Governor Edgar Chatto and Mayor Alfredo Gamalo of this town, upon getting the BEMO report and recommendation, called for the immediate evacuation of the residents to safe areas.

The barangays hit and considered vulnerable to the land fissures are Magsaysay, Dusita, Danicop, Matin-ao and Abachanan. At least 23 houses are already affected by the so-called "several tension cracks" in Magsaysay, which is elevated at about 500 meter above sea level.

The Day Care Center of nearby Dusita, with an elevation of 400 meters, has been abandoned due to "intense development of cracks on its floor and walls," said the Marine and Geo-sciences Bureau, the geologists of which have also inspected the areas after being informed by the BEMO about the situation.

Lafuente, who also forwarded a report to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC), said fractures of some of the houses' concrete walls and concrete pavements of the national highway have already split into several inches and tilted since these were monitored by experts earlier this year.

Some people have already deserted their houses, cut across by the cracks, and decided to settle elsewhere. Others, who earlier refused to abandon theirs, now decided to avail of the resettlement, he said.

Earlier, MGB said evacuation of residents in several adversely affected barangays is now considered urgent. Among MGB's recommendations is the identification of evacuation or relocation sites and formulation of a long-term solution of the identified hazardous areas.

In its five-page incident report on land cracks, MGB said: "It is necessary that residents of sitio Danao, Magsaysay be relocated for their long-term safety. Regular monitoring of the area should also be continued. This would help determine if the landslide/land cracking event is still active and whether the affected area is getting bigger or not."

MGB, which conducted the inspection and study of the cracks, earlier warned that the continuous land movement "would eventually lead to the collapse of the houses endangering the occupants." Farmlands nearby would not be spared from the cracks, it said.

The report explained that rainwater, as a result of downpour, "directly percolates into the ground behind the retaining structure and could increase pore water pressure. The cracks indicate that the ground has moved … that the ground movement is still active and will continue to move especially during periods of heavy rainfall."

It further disclosed that the affected areas in Magsaysay "has high rating for rain-induced landslides," based on the geohazard survey conducted in 2007.

The agency advised the residents to act now while it's not too late yet for their long term safety considering PAGASA's prediction that it would be rainy days ahead. (FREEMAN)