By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD CITY – Mayor Rex Jalando-on of La Carlota City, Negros Occidental, reported that ashfall and a sulfur smell from the degassing of Kanlaon Volcano have been detected in several sitios in the area.
La Carlota City is approximately 33 kilometers, or about 21 miles, from Kanlaon Volcano.
Jalando-on told reporters Monday that no ashfall had been reported in Sitio Yubo, Barangay Ara-al.
“I asked some people in Yubo, and while they didn’t notice any ashfall, they could smell sulfur. In Ara-al, there was a very light ashfall, and the sulfur smell was also noticeable,” he said.
He advised residents to remain indoors, wear masks if possible, stay alert, and be vigilant.
“People already know what to do in case anything happens,” he said.
The mayor described the recent activity as mainly degassing from Kanlaon Volcano and clarified, “It wasn’t a phreatic eruption.”
Jalando-on confirmed that the alert level remains at Alert Level 2.
In its Kanlaon Volcano status report on Monday, Nov. 4, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) recorded five volcanic earthquakes and an average sulfur dioxide emission of 5,177 tons.
“They haven’t raised the alert level, but if they do, we’ll evacuate. We’re prepared for anything,” Jalando-on stressed.
He also noted that no households in La Carlota City are located within the four-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ), though some are within the six-kilometer PDZ.
Continuous degassing from Kanlaon Volcano’s summit crater has led to intermittent ash emissions over the weekend, according to PHIVOLCS.
In a bulletin issued Sunday, PHIVOLCS reported 14 volcanic quakes and six ash emissions, with an average sulfur dioxide output of 4,171 tons on Nov. 2.
The bulletin stated, “The events generated light-gray plumes that rose 700 meters above the crater before drifting southwest.”
Meanwhile, the first demarcation flag indicating the four-kilometer PDZ was recently installed in Barangay Biak na Bato in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, to enhance community safety in case of a heightened alert level for Mt. Kanlaon.
The Protected Area Management Board of Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park passed a resolution concurring with Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council 6’s decision to designate the four-kilometer PDZ as a “Strict Protection Zone.”
While farming within the four-kilometer PDZ is permitted, Raul Fernandez, regional director of the Office of the Civil Defense 6, said constructing permanent structures is prohibited.
Fernandez also encouraged the planting of fruit-bearing trees along the slopes of the volcano.
