Power and water supplies cut in Mayon danger zone

LEGAZPI CITY, Albay – A full moon and fiery lava cascading down Mount Mayon's slopes will be the only sources of light in the danger zone belt surrounding the rumbling volcano on New Year's eve, as Albay Gov. Joey Salceda ordered power to be cut off to compel residents to stay out. Around 20 percent of residents are still insisting on staying inside the eight-kilometer danger zone, a circumferential area around the foothills of Mayon, according to the provincial government. Some residents sneak back in from evacuation centers to look after their crops and homes. Many animals in the zone have already been evacuated along with people. Starting Wednesday night, the National Power Corporation (Napocor) and local power utility Albay Electric Cooperative (Aleco) cut off the supply of electricity in the volcano’s eight-kilometer danger zone. A news report aired over dzBB on early Thursday also said that the water supply will also be cut off. Earlier, an advisory from the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council had warned that water and delivery of other services would also be suspended in the coming days, part of the government's effort to compel residents to comply with the ban on human activity inside the danger zones. Earlier on Wednesday, Salceda said the government would intensify its crackdown on “hardheaded" residents who still defy government orders, especially because New Year’s eve celebrations involve additional risks from firecrackers, the firing of guns, and drunken behavior. "Ang pagputol ng kuryente, seryoso kami na walang masaktan at magkaroon ng happy New Year na malayo sa peligro (Our cutoff of power means we are serious in making sure no one gets hurt and residents have a happy New Year away from danger)," Salceda said in an interview on dzXL radio. CHR gave go-signal Salceda also said the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has given them clearance to forcibly evacuate the residents. “The CHR sees no legal or human rights basis to object to such emergency measures so long as they are carried out in a manner that is respectful of the dignity of persons," read an advisory from the Commission. In a press briefing, Salceda said he no longer sees any reason why the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology’s (Phivolcs) order banning human activity within the eight-kilometer danger zone should not be followed. “Binigyan na natin sila ng panggatong. Yung mga animal nila inilikas na rin natin. Yung water [supply] per camp, dinagdagan na rin natin (We already supplied them with fuelwood. We also evacuated their animals. We increased the water supply per camp)," Salceda said. He noted that the government has purchased about P510,000 worth of firewood and has allotted P11 million for operational and maintenance costs for animal evacuation in three cities and five towns threatened by imminent Mayon’s eruption. A total of 720,000 liters of water per day have also been made available for the 32 evacuation centers, he added. To help the residents cope with having to welcome the New Year away from home, the Albay government has prepared more than 10,000 media noche packs and even a concert for the evacuees. No time to relax State volcanologists likewise warned that Mayon may have gone into a “lull," showing a decrease in volcanic activity, but Alert Level 4 remains hoisted because of the remaining threat of a hazardous explosion of pyroclastic materials, which poses a bigger danger than lava flows. Earlier, Phivolcs director Dr. Renato Solidum said other signs still point to magma making its way up the volcano’s crater at the summit. Julio Sabit, Phivolcs spokesperson and science research specialist, also said the full moon on January 1 could help intensify volcanic activity. Statistically, there are such instances of eruptions during full moons, Sabit said. The chances of a full moon itself causing an eruption are very minimal, he explained, but it could trigger one if the volcano is already about to erupt. – JV/HS, GMANews.TV