Cordillera is landslide prone - experts

BAGUIO CITY - The Cordillera Region's topography has all the elements for a landslide and planners and constituents are warned to take extra precaution to minimize the loss of lives and damages. Government is implementing the hazards mapping and assessment for effective community-based disaster risk management project, a five-year endeavor funded by the United Nations Development Program and the Australian Agency for International Development. Included in the project is the identification of landslide prone areas, which is spearheaded by the Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau. Benguet is one of the 27 provinces, which were prioritized for the hazard mapping. Installation of early warning device was done in Barangays Tawang and Puguis in La Trinidad on Thursday due in part to the advice taken from the study. The areas were identified as among the landslide prone sites in the town. The project obtained US$2 million spread out over five years, MGB Chief Horacio Ramos said. Aside from the foreign funding, each of the concerned government agency allots counterpart. Ramos said the MGB allocates P60 million from its annual budget for the identification of landslide prone areas in the country. The agency produces landslide maps and gives these to the local government units to serve as their basis in planning and zoning. MGB Regional Director Neoman dela Cruz said the Cordillera is generally highly susceptible to landslides. The agency completed the landslide susceptibility map for Baguio City and Benguet. While officials could not quantify through figures how susceptible these areas are to landslide, all that they could say is the region is vulnerability of the region to landslide is high and that extra precaution is needed to lessen the loss of lives and properties. The hazard mapping and effective assessment aim to address the problem of disaster risk management at the local level, while enabling localities to prepare disaster risk management plans. - Sun.Star Baguio