Saturday, May 10, 2008 Sinsin area ordered closed; City relocates 41 families
THE Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau (MGB) 7 and the Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council (CCDCC) recommended the immediate relocation of at least 42 families from the landslide site in Sitio Nangka, Barangay Sinsin because of danger posed by soil movement.
The area will be cordoned off on Tuesday.
A team composed of personnel from the MGB and the City Government’s Management Information and Computer Services is set to do a more detailed geohazard mapping to delineate the permanent danger zone.
Evacuation
“Tension cracks have been noted upslope and downslope of the affected area, and the onset of the rainy season further necessitate the evacuation of the affected residents, as rains will further aggravate the unstable condition of the slope,” an MGB report read.
It was signed by Senior Geologist Maria Elena Lupo and Senior Science Research Specialist Abraham Lucero Jr., which Geosciences Division Officer-in-Charge Al Emil Berador approved.
The MGB said that rainfall from April 28 to May 1 was “consistently low,” yet it resulted in massive soil movement that threatened homes and led to the collapse of a 300-meter section of the road.
Pressure
“During the rainy period, water could easily seep or percolate into the highly weathered and fractured bedrock. This process would tend to increase pore water pressure and decrease the shear strength of the materials, thus triggering a landslide,” the MGB offficials said in their report.
“People should be prevented from staying around the landslide zone. Warning signs and barricades should be properly installed in the affected zone. The people should be properly and sufficiently informed about the risks of venturing into this zone,” they said.
The CCDCC members met yesterday and discussed the situation in Sinsin.
City Councilor Gerardo Carillo, CCDCC chairman, said he met with Sinsin officials led by Barangay Captain Ramon Ylaya Jr. and informed them of MGB’s recommendations.
He said the City will cordon off the landslide area and provide the appropriate signs, which will be delivered on Tuesday.
The CDCC also recommended that the City give P5,000 as financial assistance to each of the affected families.
In the same report, the MGB asked the City to provide a relocation site.
“(But) structural and geological assessment of the possible relocation site should be undertaken prior to construction of permanent dwellings or houses on the site,” they said.
Carillo said the MGB also emphasized on the need to immediately rehabilitate the road.
The CCDCC officials said the City should prioritize payment for lot owners whose properties will be used for the alternative road, since the existing road is already unstable. (RHM)
