Heavy rains brought by tropical depression Queenie caused a portion of the road in sitio Curva, barangay Banhigan in Badian town, southwest Cebu to collapse, creating a five meter wide, 10 meter deep sinkhole at past 6 a.m yesterday.
Eddie Llamedo, information officer of the regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), said barangay officials had the sinkhole cordoned off and advised residents of 13 houses located five meters away to evacuate. “We have advised the people in the area to stay at least 70 meters away kay unstable pa kaayo ang yuta (because the land is unstable),” Llamedo said in a phone interview.
Josephine Aleta, senior geologist of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, was sent to Badian late yesterday afternoon to investigate the sinkhole.
She was accompanied by geologists Jessica Lucero and Vanessa Sangcal.
Collapse
Disaster management personnel of Badian town which is located 98 kilometers southwest of Cebu City called up the MGB-7 yesterday morning to report the discovery of the sinkhole.
Heavy rains were experienced in Badian Wednesday night and Thursday dawn because of tropical depression Queenie. The southern part of Cebu was placed under storm signal number 1.
Llamedo said residents of sitio Curva heard something collapse at past 6 a.m.
The road where the sinkhole formed is mostly used by light vehicles and motorcycles for hire.
Intervention
Llamedo said sinkholes are formed from massive ground sharing or from the saturation of the soil.
The soil in sitio Curva consist of a combination of limestone and clay.
He said areas with limestone are most likely to have caves and develop sinkholes.
Llamedo said Banhigan residents were already advised to find an alternative road for their light vehicles.
He said the sinkhole may widen if raining persists in the area.
“Unless there is engineering intervention, they will have to stop using the road,” Llamedo said.
Llamedo said the MGB issued a ground subsidence threat advisory and asked Badian Mayor Rupert Librando to request for a ground penetrating radar survey in the area to determine the extent of the sinkhole.
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