DECEPTIVELY CALM The Taal Volcano Island, locally known as “Pulo,” is deceptively calm in this photo taken on Oct. 2 from a viewpoint in Tagaytay City amid its ongoing unrest, which has prompted state volcanologists to warn officials of towns and cities around Taal Lake to prepare for possible escalation of its alert level from 1 to 2. —Sherwin Tan
LUCENA CITY, QUEZON, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) directed local officials in Batangas and Cavite provinces to prepare measures that would ensure public safety amid the ongoing unrest exhibited by Taal Volcano.
The DILG said all local officials should remain vigilant for a possible escalation to Alert Level 2 status of the volcano, which has been having a series of minor steam-driven, gas-driven and phreatomagmatic (when water meets magma) eruptions in the past week.
READ: Taal Volcano erupts; Alert Level 1 stays
“Establish and strictly implement the critical preparedness actions based on Operation Listo protocols for volcanic eruption Taal volcano, and your respective contingency plans for guidance on the necessary actions to be undertaken,” DILG Undersecretary Marlo Iringan said in the advisory.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said in a bulletin on Saturday that Alert Level 2 may be raised if Taal’s phreatomagmatic activity would persist or intensify.
Taal’s current Alert Level 1 status means “it is still in abnormal condition and should not be interpreted to have ceased unrest nor ceased the threat of eruptive activity,” Phivolcs said.
Alert Level 2 means “probable intrusion of magma at depth, which can lead to magmatic eruption,” the agency said.
Evacuation sites
In its 12 a.m. Sunday bulletin, Phivolcs said that in the past 24 hours, the volcano has had six minor phreatic eruptions lasting from one to three minutes; a four-minute minor phreatomagmatic eruption; and nine volcanic earthquakes, including two tremors that lasted six minutes.
The DILG also ordered local officials to make an inventory of their manpower and resources to enhance their disaster response capabilities, and to identify evacuation sites that are “safe, secure and available for use.”
Iringan noted the importance of the safety of communities that may be affected by possible volcanic smog or vog, ashfall, and the threat of potential long-term health impacts to communities around the volcano that are frequently exposed to volcanic gas.
“Identify the strategic locations for the prepositioning of relief goods. teams and medical services to ensure timely evacuation of affected communities,” the advisory emphasized.
Minor eruptions
On Saturday, Phivolcs detected a four-minute minor phreatomagmatic eruption, which produced a black jetted plume followed by a steam-rich plume that rose 2,000 meters above the main crater before drifting southwest.
The phreatomagmatic event was preceded by at least five steam-driven eruptions, according to Phivolcs.
On Oct. 2, the volcano also had a phreatomagmatic eruption that lasted 11 minutes.
Phivolcs explained the phreatomagmatic event was “likely driven by sudden contact of water with a small branch of shallow magma that has been in place beneath the Taal main crater and that has been degassing sustained levels of SO2 (sulfur dioxide) for the past three years.”
As of Friday, a total of 30 “minor eruptive events” have been recorded since Sept. 22, Phivolcs said.
However, Phivolcs explained that the “background levels of volcanic earthquake activity and ground deformation detected at Taal indicate that unrest is unlikely to progress into a major magmatic eruption at this time.”
Phivolcs reminded the public that the entry into Taal Volcano Island, locally known as “Pulo,” in the middle of Taal Lake in Batangas, the boating activities on Taal Lake, and the flying of any aircraft close to the volcano were still prohibited.