Luzon volcano shows signs of activity, about 200 evacuated

MANILA: Taal Volcano in Batangas province in Southern Luzon again showed signs of activity which could lead to an eruption similar to that of January 2020 which prompted the immediate evacuation on Tuesday of about 200 residents, according to officials.

Aspokesmanofthenationaldisasterriskreduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that the mandatory evacuation was undertaken by the Philippine Coast Guard as a precautionary measure amid warnings of a possible phreatic or steam-driven eruption by the Taal Volcano off the town of Talisay in Batangas.

“The order is a precautionary measure done in line with the recent activities of the volcano but Taal is not acting up,” NDRRMC said.

It added the evacuees belonged to families of men hired to guard fishpens along the lake of Volcano Island.

The NDRRMC also said the families were part of the more than 8,000 residents who lived on Volcano Island but were evacuation when the volcano erupted on Jan.12, 2020.

On Wedneday, Renato Solidum, the chief of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned there was “increasing possibility” of Taal Volcano erupting anew based on their monitoring of at least 29 tremors in the last 24 hours.

Solidum pointed out that that the increasing number of tremors was “not normal” and that the hydrothermal activity was causing the rise in seismic events, acidity and temperature on the main crater.

“It is important to note, however,” Solidum said, “that the threat of phreatic eruption and gas emission has increased. People should be prohibited from entering the whole of the Taal Volcano Island.”

He reminded that Alert Level 1 remained in effect at Taal, meaning it is still in “abnormal condition.” According to Solidum, last year’s eruption started with small explosions that induced the magma to rise and interact with the ground water.

Meanwhile, the NDRRMC said that if Taal would again go into another phtreatic eruption it would be similar to what had happened in January 2020 that displaced close to 400,000 people in the provinces of Batangas, Laguna and Quezon, the NDRRMC said.