DENR sends geo-hazard assessment team to Caraga

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has sent a team of 25 geologists to Caraga to conduct a geo-hazard assessment and eventually produce a 1:50,000-scale geo-hazard map of the region.

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes said the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) team will conduct the geo-hazard assessment in 600 areas identified as critical in the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur.

He said the team is expected to finish its geo-hazard assessment in the region by July 19.

"We are prioritizing the completion of the geo-hazard assessment in Caraga because this is one of the areas identified to be prone to geologic hazards, particularly landslides and flash floods," Reyes said.

According to the DENR, the Philippine Fault traverses the entire length of eastern Mindanao, making the Caraga region prone to earthquakes and seismic hazards.

The region’s rugged terrain makes it susceptible to landslides, while the Agusan River Valley that stretches all the way to Davao, Butuan and Surigao makes the region prone to flash floods, it added.

"From the data that the team would gather, the DENR would produce 1:50,000-scale geo-hazard maps that will be distributed to concerned local government units for their use in land use planning and disaster management," Reyes said.

"The completion of the geo-hazard maps is one of my priority programs because these maps have become a potent tool in preventing the loss of lives and properties," he added.

Reyes said the government would provide 1,300 municipalities with geo-hazard maps at a scale of 1:50,000 in the next three years.

He said the DENR is also planning to provide areas highly vulnerable to landslides with more detailed 1:10,000-scale geo-hazard maps.

Last month, the DENR-MGB completed its rapid geo-hazard assessments of Leyte and Biliran in Eastern Visayas. 

The one-month assessment covered 1,341 barangays in Leyte and 132 in Biliran, of which 109 and 18, respectively, were found highly prone to landslides.

As of June 15, the DENR-MGB has mapped a total of 247 municipalities and conducted an information campaign in coordination with the Office of Civil Defense of the National Disaster Coordinating Council. — Katherine Adraneda