Threat of dangerous Taal eruption persists – Phivolcs
Published Jan 25, 2020 12:00 am
By Alexandria San Juan
The threat of a dangerous eruption remains as Taal Volcano is still under Alert Level 4 after it continued to spew steam and ashes for a second week, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Saturday.
The main crater of the Taal Volcano is seen during an aerial survey done by government officials, more than a week after the eruption of Taal Volcano in Batgangas. (Mark Balmores)
State volcanologists said an increase in steam and sulfur dioxide emissions in Taal Volcano was observed anew on Saturday, a week after an apparent waning of its activities.
In the latest bulletin of Phivolcs, Taal belched weak to moderate white steam-laden plumes reaching up to 100 to 800 meters high from the Main Crater that drifted southwest.
Phivolcs' Volcano Monitoring and Eruption Prediction Division chief Mariton Bornas had earlier explained that the increase in steam signifies that there could be boiling of groundwater inside the volcano as caused by magma that may have already reached near the surface.
“Mayroon na talagang magma na umakyat na at ito ang binabantayan natin. Ang groundwater ay naiinitan ng magma at dahil napaka-init nito, ibinubuga ito bilang steam (Magma continues to move up close to the surface, heating groundwater and spewing it as steam)” Bornas explained.
The intensified steaming activity was first observed by Phivolcs on Friday when Taal also spewed darker ash cloud which volcanologists said was normal as it was just the mixing of old ash deposits from the volcano in the steam.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission further increased also on Saturday when it was measured at an average of 409 tons per day from the 224 tons per day recorded on Friday.
Levels of SO2, a major gas component of magma, have been decreasing for three days from Tuesday to Thursday, and have been fluctuating since it was first recorded on January 13, reaching as high as over 5,000 tons per day.
According to the United States Geological Survey, emission of SO2 indicates that magma was nearing the surface and could be a sign that the volcano will erupt soon.
Meanwhile, a decrease in the number of volcanic quakes was noted in the past 24 hours as the Philippine Seismic Network plotted six volcanic earthquakes plotted that registered at magnitudes 1.5 to 2.3 with no felt event.
While the Taal Volcano Network, which can record small earthquakes, detected 420 volcanic tremors including 11 low-frequency earthquakes.
But Phivolcs said that continuous volcanic tremblors near the volcano island signify that there was movement of magma underneath Taal’s edifice and may lead to a further eruption.
Phivolcs strongly reiterated total evacuation of Taal Volcano Island and high-risk areas identified in the hazard maps as within the 14-kilometer radius from Taal Main Crater and along the Pansipit River Valley where fissuring has been observed.
Based on the hazard map developed by Phivolcs, among the high-risk areas susceptible to deadly volcanic hazards such as base surge are the towns of Agoncillo, Alitagtag, Balete, Cuenca, Laurel, Lemery, Malvar, Mataas na Kahoy, San Nicolas, Sta. Teresita, San Nicolas, Taal, and Talisay, and the cities of Lipa and Tanauan in Batangas.
Residents around the volcano were also advised to guard against the effects of heavy and prolonged ashfall.
In the wind forecast of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), if the eruption plume remains below five kilometers, ash will drift to areas west and northwest of the Main Crater.
However, if a major eruption occurs during the day and the eruption column exceeds seven kilometers, ash will fall over the western parts of Laguna and Quezon provinces.
READ MORE: Threat of dangerous Taal eruption persists – state volcanologists
Bancas removed
As this developed, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) removed a total of 16 bancas along the coast of Taal Lake for safekeeping and to keep locals from venturing out into the lake as the volcano remains restive.
In a statement on Friday, the PCG said its Task Force Taal in Southern Tagalog removed the motorized bancas on Thursday after the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region IV-A (Calabarzon) declared the coastline of Taal Lake as a high-risk area.
“The motorbancas are temporarily secured in a location within the vicinity so that the owners may immediately access their boats once Taal Lake is declared safe for fishing,” the PCG said.
In the memorandum signed by DILG regional director Elias Fernandez Jr., local officials were ordered to remove bancas from the Taal lakeshore and to keep them in locations inaccessible to civilians.
“Remove the bancas from the lakeshore and vicinity, and bring them to appropriate locations, where civilians will not have access, for safekeeping,” the memorandum read.
The order was only one of three measures that were part of the “total lockdown” order on villages declared as high-risk areas.
Other measures specified in the memo are ensuring all displaced families and individuals are accommodated in evacuation centers and to establish warning signages forbidding the entry inside the 14-kilometer high-risk areas and other alternate passages.
Charged over overpricing
Meanwhile, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has charged 18 retail establishments for overpricing of face masks following the eruption of Taal Volcano.
DTI Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said DTI proceeded with the filing of charges with penalties of up to P300,000 per store after the establishments failed to give sufficient explanations.
Lopez said 18 establishments in Bambang, Manila, were issued Notices of Violation (NOVs) pursuant to the Consumer Act of the Philippines or Republic Act No. 7394.
The Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (FTEB), which was tasked to conduct the price monitoring, reported that prices of N95 masks jumped from P50 to as high as P180.00 per piece and most establishments monitored claim that those products were already sold-out due to the increased demand. (With reports from PNA and Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat)
READ MORE: DTI files charges against 18 stores over overpriced face masks
The main crater of the Taal Volcano is seen during an aerial survey done by government officials, more than a week after the eruption of Taal Volcano in Batgangas. (Mark Balmores)
State volcanologists said an increase in steam and sulfur dioxide emissions in Taal Volcano was observed anew on Saturday, a week after an apparent waning of its activities.
In the latest bulletin of Phivolcs, Taal belched weak to moderate white steam-laden plumes reaching up to 100 to 800 meters high from the Main Crater that drifted southwest.
Phivolcs' Volcano Monitoring and Eruption Prediction Division chief Mariton Bornas had earlier explained that the increase in steam signifies that there could be boiling of groundwater inside the volcano as caused by magma that may have already reached near the surface.
“Mayroon na talagang magma na umakyat na at ito ang binabantayan natin. Ang groundwater ay naiinitan ng magma at dahil napaka-init nito, ibinubuga ito bilang steam (Magma continues to move up close to the surface, heating groundwater and spewing it as steam)” Bornas explained.
The intensified steaming activity was first observed by Phivolcs on Friday when Taal also spewed darker ash cloud which volcanologists said was normal as it was just the mixing of old ash deposits from the volcano in the steam.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission further increased also on Saturday when it was measured at an average of 409 tons per day from the 224 tons per day recorded on Friday.
Levels of SO2, a major gas component of magma, have been decreasing for three days from Tuesday to Thursday, and have been fluctuating since it was first recorded on January 13, reaching as high as over 5,000 tons per day.
According to the United States Geological Survey, emission of SO2 indicates that magma was nearing the surface and could be a sign that the volcano will erupt soon.
Meanwhile, a decrease in the number of volcanic quakes was noted in the past 24 hours as the Philippine Seismic Network plotted six volcanic earthquakes plotted that registered at magnitudes 1.5 to 2.3 with no felt event.
While the Taal Volcano Network, which can record small earthquakes, detected 420 volcanic tremors including 11 low-frequency earthquakes.
But Phivolcs said that continuous volcanic tremblors near the volcano island signify that there was movement of magma underneath Taal’s edifice and may lead to a further eruption.
Phivolcs strongly reiterated total evacuation of Taal Volcano Island and high-risk areas identified in the hazard maps as within the 14-kilometer radius from Taal Main Crater and along the Pansipit River Valley where fissuring has been observed.
Based on the hazard map developed by Phivolcs, among the high-risk areas susceptible to deadly volcanic hazards such as base surge are the towns of Agoncillo, Alitagtag, Balete, Cuenca, Laurel, Lemery, Malvar, Mataas na Kahoy, San Nicolas, Sta. Teresita, San Nicolas, Taal, and Talisay, and the cities of Lipa and Tanauan in Batangas.
Residents around the volcano were also advised to guard against the effects of heavy and prolonged ashfall.
In the wind forecast of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), if the eruption plume remains below five kilometers, ash will drift to areas west and northwest of the Main Crater.
However, if a major eruption occurs during the day and the eruption column exceeds seven kilometers, ash will fall over the western parts of Laguna and Quezon provinces.
READ MORE: Threat of dangerous Taal eruption persists – state volcanologists
Bancas removed
As this developed, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) removed a total of 16 bancas along the coast of Taal Lake for safekeeping and to keep locals from venturing out into the lake as the volcano remains restive.
In a statement on Friday, the PCG said its Task Force Taal in Southern Tagalog removed the motorized bancas on Thursday after the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region IV-A (Calabarzon) declared the coastline of Taal Lake as a high-risk area.
“The motorbancas are temporarily secured in a location within the vicinity so that the owners may immediately access their boats once Taal Lake is declared safe for fishing,” the PCG said.
In the memorandum signed by DILG regional director Elias Fernandez Jr., local officials were ordered to remove bancas from the Taal lakeshore and to keep them in locations inaccessible to civilians.
“Remove the bancas from the lakeshore and vicinity, and bring them to appropriate locations, where civilians will not have access, for safekeeping,” the memorandum read.
The order was only one of three measures that were part of the “total lockdown” order on villages declared as high-risk areas.
Other measures specified in the memo are ensuring all displaced families and individuals are accommodated in evacuation centers and to establish warning signages forbidding the entry inside the 14-kilometer high-risk areas and other alternate passages.
Charged over overpricing
Meanwhile, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has charged 18 retail establishments for overpricing of face masks following the eruption of Taal Volcano.
DTI Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said DTI proceeded with the filing of charges with penalties of up to P300,000 per store after the establishments failed to give sufficient explanations.
Lopez said 18 establishments in Bambang, Manila, were issued Notices of Violation (NOVs) pursuant to the Consumer Act of the Philippines or Republic Act No. 7394.
The Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (FTEB), which was tasked to conduct the price monitoring, reported that prices of N95 masks jumped from P50 to as high as P180.00 per piece and most establishments monitored claim that those products were already sold-out due to the increased demand. (With reports from PNA and Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat)
READ MORE: DTI files charges against 18 stores over overpriced face masks