Residents in Manila were warned that the air quality index in the city “may be observed to be unhealthy” after Taal Volcano generated a one-kilometer high phreatomagmatic plume Thursday afternoon.
In an assessment report, the Manila Risk Reduction and Management Office (MRRMO) said “ashfall or tephra fall is also possible in case of volcano eruption.”
Mayor Manila Francisco “Isko Moreno” Doamgasoos, for his part, told Manila residents to stay safe.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised the Taal Volcano’s alert status from Level 2 (increasing unrest) to Level 3 (magmatic unrest) on July 1.
The alert status of Taal was raised after its main crater “generated a short-lived dark phreatomagmatic plume 1 kilometer-high with no accompanying volcanic earthquake.”