Taal Volcano ashfall reaches Metro Manila, may extend to Central Luzon — Pagasa
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2020 12:40:29 +0000
ASHFALL from the phreatic explosion of Taal Volcano in Batangas on Sunday has reached Metro Manila and could possibly spread to Central Luzon, a weather specialist from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has raised Alert Level 3 over Taal and residents in the affected areas have been evacuated following a phreatic eruption that emitted ash plume and other particles.
Pagasa weather specialist Ariel Rojas said the reach of the ashfall could be attributed to the height of the clouds, direction and strength of the wind, and the weight of the particles.
“Sa ganong height po, yung hangin ay galing sa timog kaya papunta po sa hilaga, umaabot ng Central Luzon yung binubugang usok mula dyan sa Taal Volcano. At hindi po natin nakikita na magbabago ang direction at speed sa upper layer kaya kung tuloy-tuloy po ang pagbuga ng usok ay patuloy din po na magpopropagate pahilaga itong ating makapal na ulap (At that height, the wind is coming from the south going to the north, and the plume emitted by Taal Volcano is reaching Central Luzon. And we do not see the direction and speed at the upper layer changing so if the ash emission continues, the thick clouds would continue to spread to the north),” Rojas said in an interview over DZMM.
“Kung tuloy-tuloy po yan, and mananatili yung scenarios, yung lakas ng hangin at a certain distance from the ground, possible po na umabot po ng Central Luzon ang ashfall. Umaabot na po dun ngayon yung kaulapan galing sa Taal Volcano (If this continues and the scenario persists, and the strength of wind at a certain distance from the ground, it is possible that the ashfall could reach Central Luzon),” Rojas added.
Rojas also noted the poor assessment of air quality in Metro Manila at 40 micrograms per cubic meter as reflected from the Lung Center monitoring station of airtoday.ph as of 7 p.m.
“As early as 7 p.m., mataas na po yung concentration. So ibig sabihin, mayroon nang mga particles na hindi maiaatrribute sa pollution dito sa Metro Manila. So posible po na umaabot na itong particles mula sa Taal Volcano (the concentration is already high. So it means that there are particles that cannot be attributed to the pollution here in Metro Manila. So it is possible that the particles from Taal Volcano have reached the area),” Rojas said.
Meanwhile, during an ashfall, Phivolcs advised people to stay indoors and cover their noses and mouths with damp, clean cloth or dust mask. Doors and windows of houses and cars must be closed. Phivolcs also advised to cover door openings and other open sources with damp cloth. DIVINA NOVA JOY DELA CRUZ