Wednesday, June 18, 2008 Close Sinsin landslide site, consultants advise City Hall
LIKE the Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau (MBG) 7, geologists from a private consulting firm recommended the immediate evacuation of families and the closure of the landslide area in Barangay Sinsin, Cebu City.
Clark Cebrian, a geologist and manager of Cebrian Geo-Konsult, also recommended that city officials regularly monitor the area in Sitio Nangka in Sinsin that will be closed to the public because of danger posed by soil movement.
Cebrian visited the landslide area on several occasions for the past three weeks to study what causes the soil movement and its impact. He submitted a report on his findings to Mayor Tomas Osmeña and City Councilor Gerardo Carillo last week.
Osmeña and Cebrian were supposed check the landslide area and take aerial photos aboard a private jet yesterday. But because of poor visibility due to the rains in the mountain barangays, they decided to cancel the trip when they reached Talisay City.
Despite the warning of the MBG and Geo Konsult, some 20 families who evacuated last month returned to Sitio Nangka and continued to occupy their houses near the landslide area.
Sinsin Barangay Captain Ramon Ylaya confirmed that of the 70 families evacuated last May 14, around 20 have returned to their houses and their livelihood so they would have money to buy food.
He assured, though, that they are regularly monitoring the families to ensure their safety.
“Around 20 families are still here but they live far from the landslide area. They are aware of the risks and they assured me that they will go back to the evacuation center when there are heavy rains,” Ylaya said in Bisaya.
In a phone interview yesterday, Carillo said they will coordinate with the barangay officials so they can implement Cebrian’s recommendations.
The Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council (CCDCC) will also divert the drainage in Nangka to make sure that water is kept away from the landslide area.
City Hall has tapped the services of Cebrian and Geo-Konsult to study the landslide area and assess the impact of the soil movement and what caused it.
In their report on the investigation on the May 6 landslide, MGB 7 geologists noted tension cracks upslope and downslope of the affected area, and warned that rains will further destabilize the slope.
They also said it was the massive soil movement that threatened homes and led to the collapse of 300 meters of a road section in the area.
“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,” their report read. (LCR)
