Wednesday, July 11, 2007 Rains cause Buda road slips: DPWH By Carlo P. Mallo
A 40-METER stretch of the Davao-Bukidnon Highway has been reported to have collapsed or "slipped" due to the incessant rains in the past few days.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Southern Mindanao said although the damage has not rendered the highway impassable, only one lane can be used.
The latest report from DPWH-Southern Mindanao said the road slip ate up to 2.5 meters of the highway.
Gene Lozano, acting head of the Davao City Sub-District Engineering Office of DPWH, on Tuesday said two other areas also experienced road slips -- in Tamugan and Campo Uno.
The damage has caused traffic in the area, although not much is affected as it is not heavily congested at any given time of the day.
"We still do not know how to solve the problem," Lozano said.
He said an international consultancy firm, the Japanese Overseas Consultant, has already looked into the problem but is also clueless on how to resolve it.
Two years ago, two portions of the highway cracked and raised up, boggling road engineers who decided to just cut up the asphalt and bulldoze the mound that cut through the highway.
The asphalt highway, connecting the province of Bukidnon to Davao City was completed in 2002.
However, Lozano asserted that the damage does not pose an immediate threat to the public. A 24-hour monitoring team, as well as a quick response team, has already been deployed by the DPWH-Southern Mindanao to continuously monitor the area.
In a separate interview, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB)-Southern Mindanao has earlier reported that Marilog District, where Ipol is located, is considered to be a geo-hazard zone due to its susceptibility to landslides.
MGB-Southern Mindanao chief geologist Engineer Diana Kristin Velasco said the increased rainfall is a major factor that could be attributed to the collapse of the road.
Last Friday, Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) chair Andres Caro II issued a memorandum that placed the RDCC on alert due to the expected continuous rains for the months of July and August.
