THE air quality in Central Visayas remains “good” or within the “acceptable guideline values” as of April 8, 2025 after Mount Kanlaon's eruption, said the Environmental Management Bureau regional office (EMB 7).
The EMB 7 released the report following the “explosive eruption” of Mount Kanlaon early morning Tuesday, April 8, 2025. The eruption, which occurred at the summit vent of Mount Kanlaon, started at 5:51 a.m. and ended at 6:47 a.m., producing a 4,000-meter ash plume that drifted southwest.
The volcano remains under Alert Level 3.
In its report, the EMB 7 said that all monitoring results from the stations in Mabigo, Canlaoon City in Negros Oriental, as well as Toledo, and Mandaue in Cebu were within the acceptable guideline values for sulfur dioxide (SO2) and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) of as April 8.
The monitoring stations measure concentrations of SO2, PM10 and PM2.5, which are pollutants commonly released during volcanic eruptions.
The station in Mabigo is located approximately 10 kilometers from Mount Kanlaon’s crater and 310 meters from the nearest evacuation center -- Macario Espanola School.
Additional air quality monitoring has also been conducted in Toledo City and Mandaue City in Cebu to evaluate whether the eruption has affected air quality outside Negros Island.
Meanwhile, the wind direction patterns recorded from the stations in Barangay Mabigo (Northeast to Southwest), Toledo City (Southeast to Northwest), and Banilad, Cebu City (Northeast to Southwest) showed a predominantly southwestward movement.
This aligns with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology’s (Phivolcs) report, which stated that ash fall is expected to mainly affect areas in Negros Occidental.
Air quality monitoring in Central Visayas continues as authorities urged the public, especially those near the volcano, to remain vigilant. (CDF)