GENERAL SANTOS City– The city government has identified five barangays here as highly vulnerable to landslides and related disasters.
Dr. Agripino Dacera, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) head, said their assessment showed that the ground condition in portions of Barangays Upper Labay, Olympog, Conel, Mabuhay and Siguel appeared unstable as they are largely limestone areas.
He said these areas are considered “potentially dangerous” to landslides, especially during the rainy season.
“Portions of these barangays are limestone or coralline areas. They are unstable in the sense that these easily breaks when subjected to extreme heat or extreme precipitation,” he explained.
But Dacera clarified that they have not yet recorded any major landslides these past years in the five barangays.
He said there were reported minor landslides but they are considered as soil and river bank erosions.
One of these previously happened in a limestone area in Barangay Conel but no damages and casualties were reported.
The official said they are currently conducting Rapid Community Response Program (RCRP) seminar-workshops in the five barangays to prepare community volunteers and residents against potential disasters.
Aside from landslides, he said they also tackle other risk and hazards that could hit these areas like floods, dry spell and man-made fire.
“The seminar-workshops mainly focus on heightening awareness to any risk or hazard,” Dacera said.
He noted that it is important for residents to be prepared so they could react properly in case disasters would strike.
“We really can’t stop some of these natural disasters but we can prepare and be ready to mitigate their impact,” he said.
The RCRP seminar-workshops were conducted by the CDRRMO in coordination with the local government’s Integrated Barangay Affairs Office and City Social Welfare and Development Office.
The initiative is a part of the advocacy of City Mayor Ronnel Rivera to attain disaster risk resiliency and environmental security in the area. pna
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