Iloilo City – The Region 6 office of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau Region 6 has identified 417 barangays as high risk for landslides in the region. This is learned as of October 2009 of its geohazard mapping and assessment.
Geohazard mapping and assessment investigates the vulnerability of a place to geologic hazards particularly landslide. MGB geologists assess areas using a landslide rating such as high, moderate, low or none depending on its vulnerability or presence of factors that contribute to the occurrence of landslides.
To warn the residents, the agency gives advisory to the concerned barangays as to the results of the team’s assessment. Information dissemination about geohazards is also conducted in the barangays and on a larger scale, at the provincial level inviting all the municipalities.
Below is a summary of the geohazard status of each province:
Aklan
In the province of Aklan, 8 municipalities with 160 barangays were assessed out of the 17 municipalities and 327 barangays.
The municipalities assessed are Balete, Buruanga, Ibajay, Kalibo, Libacao, Madalag, Malay and Nabas.
Of the 160 barangays assessed, 17 barangays rated as high, 48 moderate, 23 low and 72 barangays none.
Antique
The 18 municipalities in the province of Antique were completely assessed as of this year. Out of the 592 barangays, 571 were assessed.
Of the 571 barangays assessed, 164 barangays rated as high, 95 moderate, 83 low and 230 barangays have no landslide susceptibility.
Capiz
The 17 municipalities of Capiz were assessed as of this year. Out of the total 476 barangays, 442 were assessed with 16 barangays rating high, 39 moderate, 128 low and 259 none.
Iloilo
Out of the forty four municipalities and cities of the province of Iloilo, thirty seven were assessed as of this year, comprising of 1,477 barangays.
Thirteen municipalities still remain to be assessed.
The municipalities assessed are Ajuy, Alimodian, Badiangan, Banate, Barotac Viejo, Bingawan, Cabatuan, Calinog, Dingle, Dueñas, Dumangas, Guimbal, Igbaras, Iloilo City, Janiuay, Lambunao, Leon, Maasin, Maiag-ao, Mina, New Lucena, Oton, Pavia, Pototan, San Joaquin, San Miguel, San Rafael, Sta. Barbara, Tigbauan, Tubunga, and Zarraga.
Of the 1,480 barangays, 219 were rated as high, 198 moderate, 27 low, and 792 none in the landslide vulnerability rating.
Negros Occidental
In the province of Negros Occidental, only the municipality of Ilog with its 15 barangays was assessed as of this year. One barangay was rated high, while the remaining 14 barangays were rated as having no landslide vulnerability.
Guimaras
Meanwhile, the whole province of Guimaras remains to be assessed.
MGB-6 hopes to complete the assessment of the whole Region 6 by the end of next year if the financial requirement will be granted by the central office.
Geohazard mapping has been a top priority of the government since 2006 as part of the country’s disaster preparedness measure.
Aside from the regular activity of geohazard assessment and mapping, MGB-6 also investigates the occurrences of recent landslides in the region, such as in Tubungan, Iloilo and Moises Padilla in Negros Occidental.
