QUEZON CITY, May 19—The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) launched its handbook on earthquake preparedness entitled “The Valley Fault System in Greater Metro Manila Area Atlas” on May 18 at the Phivolcs Bldg., in UP Diliman, Quezon City.
The handbook contains large scale maps detailing areas traversed by the valley fault system (VFS). Copies of the handbook were distributed to local government officials, especially Metro Manila along with the provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, and Laguna.
“Through the publication of this Atlas, we have taken a leap forward to reducing risk from earthquake. This tool will help us in our national disaster risk reduction management effort to build safer, disaster-resilient and climate-change adaptive communities throughout the country,” says keynote speaker National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Executive Director Undersecretary Alexander P. Pama.
Usec. Pama further stated that the publication can also be of help to empower communities in improving their level of preparedness.
Meanwhile, DOST-PHIVOLCS Director Dr. Renato U. Solidum Jr. emphasized that the handbook is a guide for everyone in making sure that areas traversed by active faults are avoided as sites of houses and structures, and considered in various mitigation and response actions to enhance safety of communities to strong earthquake events.
“Key to people’s awareness and preparedness for earthquakes, appropriate land use, contingency planning for disaster response, and design of houses, buildings and infrastructures, is the location of active faults,” Director Solidum Jr. added.
The VFS is an active fault system in the Greater Metro Manila Area composed of two fault segments: the 10-kilometre long East Valley Fault in Rizal and the 100-kilometre long West Valley Fault which runs through different cities and towns of Bulacan, Rizal, Metro Manila, Cavite, and Laguna. The West Valley Fault can generate a large earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 which poses threat to peoples’ lives, buildings and infrastructures, and livelihoods.
PHIVOLCS revisited the VFS in 2012, as one of the component activities of the Australian Aid Program-funded Greater Metro Manila Area Ready under the UNDP and other member agencies of NDRRMC. The mapping resulted to discovery of new fault traces and validated previously mapped traces of the VFS.
Director Solidum Jr. described possible impact scenarios of earthquakes with magnitudes 7.2 and 6.5 based on a risk analysis project conducted in 2004 by PHIVOLCS, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and Japan International Cooperation Agency. The study revealed that an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 may cause 31,000 deaths and more than 100,000 severe injuries, which also necessitates P2.3 Trillion for reconstruction of houses and buildings in Metro Manila alone. This does not include reconstruction of damaged infrastructures.
On the other hand, a 6.5 magnitude earthquake will result to 23,000 deaths and P1.8 Billion cost of reconstruction.
Over 170 participants attended the launching, composed of local chief executives and national government agencies’ representatives.
A digital version of the VFS Atlas can be downloaded at the PHIVOLCS website. Register at http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/ (Patricia Ruth Cailao/PIA)