Fissures behind school alarm pupils, teachers
SAN CARLOS CITY—Is it a fault line or a sinkhole?
This is the question being asked of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) whom Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) and residents of Barangay Balete Sur have invited to inspect the sudden appearance of fissures estimated to be several meters deep behind a school.
The crack leads to adjacent Barangay Bacnar near the boundary line of Urbiztondo town.
Until Philvolcs confirms the nature of the fissure, rumors are rife that it could be an indication of the existence of a fault line or a sinkhole that they never knew existed. The fissures appeared after heavy rains last May 26.
Mrs. Gemma Cayabyab, head teacher of the Balete Sur Elementary School, said classes only resumed for some 600 pupils and teachers last June 1.
Teachers and the neighborhood suspect that the fissures may have been caused by the sudden drying up of an artesian well where pupils and teachers used to draw water for drinking and other purposes.
“What now comes out from the artesian well are muddy silt and no longer water,” one teacher noted.
Cayabyab said the PDRRMC that was notified by the city government initially theorized that the fissures could be the result of liquefaction.
Kayssy Sebastian, a schoolteacher, said the school building for Kinder to Grade 2, as well a school building demolished some months ago to give way to a new structure, also showed cracks earlier.
Whether Philvolcs determines it to be part of a fault line or a sinkhole, Cayabyab said lives of pupils and teachers are exposed to great danger. (Leonardo Micua)
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
