HELP COMING. The Department of Social Welfare and Development said Tuesday (June 4, 2024) it is more than ready to assist families affected by restive Mt. Kanlaon in Negros Island. About 50,000 family food packs are projected to reach affected areas by Wednesday (June 5). (DSWD photo)
MANILA – Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Director Teresito Bacolcol said no other eruption happened in Kanlaon Volcano since it erupted for six minutes on Monday night.
Bacolcol, however, advised residents around the area to take precautions against volcanic ash and gas.
“Sulfur dioxide (S02) is harmful as it could irritate the eyes, throat and respiratory tract. The severity would depend on gas concentrations and durations of exposure," he said in a televised Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing on Tuesday.
He added that people who are particularly sensitive to S02 are those with health conditions such as asthma, lung and heart diseases, as well as children, the elderly and pregnant.
Bacolcol said Phivolcs has received reports of sulfuric odor in Bago City; La Carlota City; La Castellana; and Canlaon City on Monday.
Some villages in those areas also reported ash fall.
"No other report of sulfuric smell was received today. It rained after the eruption yesterday so the S02 dissipated easily," he added.
Bacolcol said there were only 43 volcanic earthquakes recorded in the volcano from 2 a.m. to noontime Tuesday.
Monday night's eruption that produced a 5000 meter-tall plume is quite similar when Kanlaon erupted on Dec. 9, 2017, producing 4-kilometer eruption column, Bacolcol pointed out.
"Kanlaon erupted again on Dec. 20, 2017, but no eruption was observed as it happened at around 2 a.m. and the clouds were obscured," he said, adding that there were 412 volcanic earthquakes within 24 hours after the eruption.
Meanwhile, Bacolcol said they need more data to analyze if the latest eruption was phreatic (involves water coming into contact with hot volcanic materials) or magmatic (driven by the release of magma and volcanic gases) or if both phreatic and magmatic.
He reminded people living around the Kanlaon Volcano to refrain from entering the 4-km permanent danger zone to minimize the dangers of sudden phreatic eruption, rockfall and landslides. (PNA)
