Taal Volcano eruption

PHILIPPINES - In Brief 17 Jan 2020 by Romeo Bernardo

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Five days after the eruption of Taal Volcano, situated in one of the most popular domestic tourist destinations some 60km south of Metro Manila, Philippine authorities continue to remain on high alert for the possibility of a hazardous explosive eruption (i.e., Alert Level 4, 5 being the highest). A danger zone has been drawn covering a 14-km radius from the volcano, with the province of Batangas and the city of Cavite declared under a state of calamity and several towns put on total lockdown. To date, over 15,000 families have been affected by the eruption with over 57,000 people living in evacuation centers. So far, the state planning agency estimates losses of only P7.6 billion due to disruption of activities in the services, agriculture and industrial sectors in Batangas following the heavy ashfall. While the number does not include damages to public and private property, the impact appears manageable at the moment. Metro Manila experienced some ashfall early in the week but has largely been spared the effects of the eruption. At the moment, the two main short-term risks are: (1) higher fish and meat prices, expected to be temporary and can be mitigated by imports, and (2) power interruptions spreading across the Luzon grid following the warning of a major power company with plants in Batangas having a combined capacity of 2000MW of curtailment of operations if continuous ashfall damages the power plants.With volcanic activity quieting down over the last 2 days, the big question is whether the worst is over or yet to come. Unfortunately, the science of predicting the timing and intensity of volcanic eruptions is imperfect. Taal Volcano has been put on Alert Level 1...