In Kalinga, ‘boiling water’ seen in farm after quake

BLOCKED Earthquake-induced landslides hit some areas in Pasil, Kalinga, including this section of the Malucsad-Magsilay road, on July 27. Days after the quake, farmers in Pasil’s Barangay Balinciagao Norte discovered that a section of a waterlogged rice paddy was “boiling.” —PHOTO COURTESY OF PASIL POLICE

BAGUIO CITY — A section of a waterlogged rice paddy in Pasil, Kalinga, was discovered by farmers to be “boiling” days after the magnitude 7 earthquake jolted northern Luzon on July 27, according to an official of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).

This could be one of the unusual changes in the Cordillera environment that geologists and volcanologists would examine to establish their impact on surrounding areas and to confirm if these were triggered by the strong earthquake, said Albert Mogol, the OCD regional director, at a press conference on Tuesday.

Baguio-based Kalinga native Jo Kapuno had relayed to authorities the observation at a farm in Pasil’s Barangay Balinciagao Norte. The bubbling section of the paddy was recorded on video.

A team from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) will look into the report, said Fay Apil, director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in Cordillera, in a separate interview on Thursday.

“The farm owners have been reluctant to go near the site for fear they would fall into what they believe is a sinkhole,” Kapuno said. As of Thursday, water continued to flow into the fields, and the owners described the liquid as “boiling,” she said.

Validation

According to Apil, there have been instances when hot springs developing beneath the ground surface were disrupted by an earthquake.

She said the Balinciagao report needed to undergo scientific validation.

Apil said initial impression from the Phivolcs team was that hot water discharges were common in hot spring regions and should not alarm residents. A geothermal project is being developed in Pasil, she said.

But one of MGB’s geologists is traveling to Kalinga to study the phenomenon, as well as assess the areas most affected by the quake. —VINCENT CABREZA

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