The Mines and
Geosciences Bureau (MGB-6) has found 88 sinkholes in the town of Buenavista,
Guimaras.
In a press
briefing held Wednesday at the MGB-6 office in Iloilo City, MGB Regional
Director Leo Van Juguan said the preliminary report of the detailed Karst
subsidence assessment that was conducted from September 2 to October 7, 2015,
found 88 sinkholes and 85 caves in 17 barangays in the town of Buenavista.
Sinkholes are
ground depressions or openings formed when the underlying soluble rocks are
dissolved, resulting in voids underground which can weaken the
support for the
overlying surface.
According to MGB-6,
the karst subsistence assessment found the presence of sinkholes in the
following barangays: Agsanayan, Dagsaan, Daragan, Getulio, Mabini, Montpiller,
Navalas, New Poblacion, Salvacion, San Isidro, San Miguel, San Pedro, San
Roque, Tacay, Taminla, Tastasan, and Zaldivar.
Subsidence due
to sinkhole collapse is one of the most dangerous geohazard because of its
extreme unpredictability.
This information
can be used by local government planners and individual landowners to make
decisions on where to build dwellings and other structures.
In the
Philippines, subsidence hazard in karst terrain have not been given much
attention in the past until the strong earthquakes in Negros Oriental in 2012
and Bohol in 2013 exposed the numerous sinkholes in these areas.
These phenomena
were proven destructive and have affected built-up communities, roads, schools,
administrative buildings, and agricultural farmlands.
The recognition
of the devastating damage that can result from this hazard and the presence of
extensive karst areas in the country prompted MGB of the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources to include karst subsidence assessment in the
National Geohazards Mapping and Assessment Program. PIA-6
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