Ground cracks in Sirao worry mountain folks

Councilor Dave Tumulak shows CDN a map of where the cracks in barangay Sirao, Cebu City are located. (CDN PHOTO/JOSE SANTINO BUNACHITA)

Two long cracks in the ground, one measuring over 30 meters, have worried residents after they suddenly appeared in the mountain barangay of Sirao in Cebu City a few days after a downpour.

“We are looking at two factors. The cracks may be rain-induced or caused by actual earth movement,” said Councilor Dave Tumulak, operations chief of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Sirao is one of 19 barangays in Cebu City that are highly susceptible to landslides, according to a report of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.

A team that inspected the ground cracks initially said heavy rains were the cause.

“The cracks were due to heavy rain. As to risk level (to people) it’s very low. Houses are far from the cracks,” said Harold Alcontin of the CCDRRMC.

But an expert assessment is still awaited by the MGB.

Tumulak wrote requests to the agency and Phivolcs to take a look.

Sirao barangay councilwoman Susan Osolla reported the presence of the crack lines to the disaster office last Wednesday.

“It might jeopardize their safety,” read the council’s risk assessment report dated September 3, the same day it was reported.

Two crack lines were noted by the team running along each other. The first crack measures 33 meters long and five inches wide while the other one is 11.3meters long.

The crack has a depth of 1.40 meters.

The site is near the Kan Irag Peak in sitio Tawagan, barangay Sirao which is a popular trekking and hiking area among local adventurists.

“We want the experts to conduct further investigations on the cracks to keep the residents at ease. It’s better that they’re properly informed,” Tumulak said.