BY MARY JOY CAVAÑAS
ILOILO – The local government unit of Alimodian through its Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (LDRRMO) plans to replicate the town’s Barangay Umingan’s Community Based Early Warning System (CBEWS) for landslide in Barangay Lico and other mountainous barangays to monitor the possible occurrence of landslide.
The CBEWS is a system developed, managed and maintained by the community itself, that empowers individuals and communities threatened by hazards to act in sufficient time and in an appropriate manner in a bid to reduce the possibility of personal injury, loss of life, damage to property, environment and loss of livelihood. It has been established through the help of Dynaslope – a project of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
Based on Phivolcs official website, the Dynaslope Project is a research program developing an early warning system for deep-seated and catastrophic landslides, through landslide sensor technology and community participation in the Philippines.
LDRRMO head Sherwin Bering III said aside from monitoring the landslide, the warning system can also be used during inclement weather.
He added that rainfalls and landslides can also be monitored through the use of radio communication in order to give advance warning to the residents.
Last week, a landslide occurred in Barangay Lico which displaced six families.
“Actually last week nagkadto na kami to, naghatag na kami to sang mga short-term nga relief operations. Nakahatag na kami to sang mga relief kag cash assistance nga temporaryo nila nga kinanglan,” said Bering.
As of this writing, some of the affected families were still staying in barangay hall and with their relatives. Others went back to their houses but the LDRRMO advised them to immediately evacuate in case of there would be another landslide threat.
Bering added that they consulted with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) 6 regarding their plan to transfer the landslide-affected families in permanent relocation sites as a long-term solution.
“Ga-try kami nga i-transfer ni ang mga families sa permanent relocation… Kay kung ibalik namon to sila, ang mga dalan naman to nga gina-landslide, daw indi naman to feasible,” said Bering.
He added: “Actually kung pagasundon gid naton ang hazard map, almost all those barangays, pito gid ni ya ka barangays, inughalin gid na sila (residents).”
He, however, said that the biggest challenge in relocating the residents is their livelihood.
“Hambal nila gani mas mayo pa kuno nga ma-landslide-an sila to kaysa sa magutman sila. Karon kung sayluhon mo sila sa lowland, ang ila pangabuy-on ato sa ibabaw,” Bering said.
Barangay Lico is one of the seven mountainous barangays in Alimodian. The others are Dao, Manasa, Tabug, Tarug, Umingan, and Cabacanan./PN
