Kanlaon Volcano ashfall hits 9 barangays

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Ashfall from Kanlaon Volcano hit nine barangays in Bago City, Negros Occidental, where water rationing is being implemented following the contamination of several spring water sources on Saturday.

Merijene Ortizo, local disaster risk reduction and management officer, said ashfall was reported in Ilijan, Ma-ao, Dulao, Binubuhan, Abuanan, Atipuluan, Tabunan, Bacong and Mailum – all in Bago City.

Ortizo said Mailum was the most affected as its water sources were heavily contaminated. 

Residents also complained of strong sulfuric smell.

Both the provincial and city governments sent water tankers to the barangay to provide safe drinking water. Face masks were also distributed to the affected residents.

On Saturday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported two ash eruptions, lasting from four to eight minutes based on seismic and infrasound records.

The first ash eruption, recorded at 2:32 p.m., generated a grayish plume that rose as high as 1,500 meters above the crater before drifting westward.

The eastern upper slopes of the volcano have been undergoing inflation since Jan. 10, while inflation-deflation cycles have been observed on the western upper and eastern middle slopes, Phivolcs reported.

“This behavior likely results from occasional plugging and unplugging of the volcanic conduit, affecting degassing and eruptive activity,” Phivolcs said.

Alert Level 3 remains hoisted over Kanlaon, indicating that magmatic unrest could generate similar ash emissions and short-lived explosive eruptions.