The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) 7 has warned anew on the possibility of landslides and flooding as a result of the coming “wet” season which brings more rains and a low pressure area (LPA).

This, as MGB-7 identified nearly portions of 80 barangays withinCebuprovince to be highly vulnerable to episodes of ground failure or subsidence and flood.

MGB-7 Regional Director Loreto B. Alburo made a call in wake of reports by the weather bureau that heavier rains are still expected despite the departure of typhoon “Ambo”.

In CebuCity, 19 of the 80 barangays were rated high susceptibility to landslides.

“It is highly important that local chief executives and the communities themselves to be always ready and should pay attention of critical areas which have been known to them an indicated in the geohazards threat advisory issued to them,” he stressed.

Alburo strongly recommended to local chief executives to prohibit habitation in areas declared as “highly susceptible” to flooding and landslides by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the DENR to protect people’s lives and pieces of property.

To facilitate easy access of the geohazards maps, the said maps in a 1-50,000-scale are now available and downloadable in four government websites, including that of a non-government organization.

The government websites hosting the interactive geohazard maps include that of the DENR (www.denr.gov.ph), Mines and Geosciences Bureau (www.mgb.gov.ph), Philippine Information Agency (www.pia.gov.ph) and that of Environmental Science for Social Change (www.essc.org.ph).

Geohazard mapping identifies various geologic features and hazards associated to these geologic features.  It also determines possible settlement sites, properties and infrastructures to be affected.  It pursues the identification of susceptible areas to floods, landslides, liquefaction and other ground instabilities such as vulnerabilities to earthquakes.