MGB identifies landslide-prone areas

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) has named 18 areas that are highly susceptible to landslides after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake affected Mindanao last Wednesday.

The MGB said these areas are: Benguet; Mountain Province; Abra; Nueva Vizcaya; Davao Oriental; Ifugao; Aurora; Apayao; Quirino; Kalinga; Camiguin; Southern Leyte; Sarangani; Siquijor; Quezon; Bukidnon; Romblon; and Negros Oriental.

Most of the provinces mentioned are from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

“Earthquakes can loosen the top layer of soil, causing landslides,” DENR’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau Director Wilfredo G. Moncano said in a statement.

“It is more dangerous in high-slope areas, but can still be caused by earthquakes, depending on the intensity,” Moncano added.

The areas were identified based on an assessment of a number of factors such as altitude and capacity for debris to flow, Moncano added.

The earthquake that occurred in Mindanao last week resulted in at least six deaths and 93 injuries.

The MGB also released a warning after the destructive effects of Typhoon Hagibis in Japan.

“The risks of any natural disaster are reduced by preparation and proper dissemination of information,” he emphasized.

“If Japan, a developed country that is already highly prepared in times of natural disasters, still suffered severely in the wake of Hagibis, then we must really double our efforts to prepare in case of a similar typhoon,” he added.

Moncano said that the bureau is willing to assist local government units in reviewing their communities and preparing for geohazards, such as landslides and mudslides.