Albay (CNN Philippines, June 29) — Air and water quality around Mayon Volcano is “consistently good” despite the volcano’s restiveness, an environmental official from the province said Thursday.
Maria Socorro Abu, regional director of the Environment Management Bureau in Bicol, said the monitoring of air quality in the cities of Legazpi, Tabaco, Ligao, and the town of Guinobatan in Albay indicated that the ambient air quality is still satisfactory.
There are particles in the ash emitted by Mayon but Abu explained they are suspended in the air.
“The PM10 (particulate matter 10) parameter, employed to assess air quality, consistently falls within the ‘good’ classification,” she said.
She added when the air quality index is categorized as “good,” it signifies a satisfactory overall air quality.
Abu said the EMB will regularly update the public on air quality especially around Mayon which continuously emits gases and ash at its current eruptive stage.
The bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is monitoring nine bodies of water around the volcano, she added.
In its latest bulletin, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said it observed very slow effusion of lava from Mayon’s summit crater.
Phivolcs said it measured lava flows at 2.1 kilometers and 1.3 kilometers along the Mi-isi and Bonga gullies, while collapsed debris was deposited at 3.3 kilometers.
Phivolcs recorded one volcanic earthquake and 296 rockfall events on Mayon in the past 24 hours. Seven dome-collapse pyroclastic density currents — or emission of ash and volcanic debris — and two lava-front collapse pyroclastic density currents were also logged.
The volcano emitted sulfur dioxide at an average of 595 tons per day on Wednesday, the agency said.
Alert Level 3 is still up over Mayon. Authorities warned of possible hazardous eruption from the volcano due to its intensified unrest.
