By Ephraim Aguilar (Inquirer)LEGAZPI CITY—Volcanologists are hard put predicting the exact date of Mayon volcano’s major eruption even as 44,000 people linger in temporary shelters.
“The signs of an imminent hazardous eruption are still there but we are having a hard time establishing a pattern due to the volcano’s irregular behavior,” said Raymond Maximo, one of the science research specialists from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs)-Manila now keeping close watch on Mayon’s unrest.
Maximo cited the sudden calming-down after a series of ash explosions and the rise and fall of the sulfur dioxide [SO2] emission rate.
There was a lull in volcanic activity last Tuesday with no ash explosions recorded and the sulfur dioxide emission rate at only 2,918 tons daily, the lowest since the alert level four was hoisted last Aug. 7.
On Wednesday, however, Mayon had five ash explosions. A “very high” SO2 emission rate of 8,086 tons daily were recorded in the past 24 hours, Phivolcs said yesterday.
It also warned of pyroclastic flows that may be generated by the sudden collapse of hot lava deposits in the middle slopes.
Maximo said the accumulation of lava deposits was caused by the big volume of lava that had flowed down, now measured at 6.7 km from the crater or barely 1.3 km from the extended 8-km danger zone and closest to the village of Buyuan in this city.
He added that the volcano had already generated 32 million cubic meters of hot lava during this period of unrest, which has devastated coconut plantations and vegetation within the 6-km permanent danger zone.
In a report of the Office of Civil Defense-Bicol yesterday noon, there were 44,491 persons or 9,597 families housed in 29 evacuation centers.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development said the total financial assistance extended to the villagers was P5.5 million, almost half of which came from nongovernment organizations and other government agencies other than the DSWD and the local government units.
Five municipalities and three cities stand in the path of an eruption but Sto. Domingo and Daraga towns and this city, which have a total of 16 villages, are at highest risk.
Cedric Daep, executive officer of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council, said the long-term plan of the PDCC to permanently relocate villagers, especially those near river channels, is still an ongoing effort of the provincial government.
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