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Workers climb Philippines' Mount Pinatubo to drain rising crater lake, avert flash flood

By Oliver Teves, Associated Press, 8/16/2001 04:25

SANTA JULIANA, Philippines (AP) A dozen tribesmen with picks and shovels climbed the Mount Pinatubo volcano Thursday on a dangerous mission to drain a crater lake that threatens their villages with massive floods.

Tugging a leashed pig to sacrifice to the mountain god, the Aeta tribesmen planned to carve a notch in the volcano's crater, to slowly release water from the rising lake. Accompanied by a dozen porters and two engineers, the diggers are expected to chop 16 feet off the lowest point of Pinatubo's summit.

The water level in the lake has been rising rapidly during the May-October rainy season, and is now within 16 feet of the crater's rim. Without the notching procedure, the weight of the water could shatter the upper walls of the 4,740-foot volcano, endangering the lives of 40,000 villagers nearby, geologists said.

But the crumbly crater, composed of loosely packed volcanic rock and ash, also could give way under the digging, they said.

Rogelio Yap, the mayor of the nearby town of Botolan, said he spoke with the diggers by radio Thursday afternoon and they reported that heavy rain kept them from starting work immediately.

''They're going to camp out the night and then start in the morning,'' Yap said.

Raymundo Punongbayan, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said it is believed to be the first attempt to drain water from a volcano lake in this way. He said water has been drained from the Kelud volcanic lake in Indonesia by boring through the crater wall, but that kind of procedure would be too expensive for the cash-strapped Philippines.

Those who have camped recently near Pinatubo's summit say loud splashes break the silence of still, chilly nights as chunks of the crater break off and fall into the lake's 1,000-foot depths.

Pinatubo, about 50 miles north of Manila, has become a popular climbing and picnicking destination, with about 3,500 people scaling it every year between October and April. Tour agency officials say the route they use is safely away from gullies where drainage would likely flow.

Willy Bulanhigan, 45, who is supervising the digging, admitted he is apprehensive, but said more people would be harmed without the work. ''We are looking at the welfare of our community,'' he said.

Bulanhigan said that before beginning their work, the tribesmen would sacrifice the pig and pour a bottle of gin on the crater rim to appease the supreme Aeta god, who they believe lives in the volcano.

The diggers are paid $3.50 a day and were given picks, shovels and wheelbarrows, along with a week's worth of rice and canned food.

Government geologists, supervising and planning the work, ruled out the use of explosives or heavy equipment for fear it could unpredictably tear away at the crater. Local officials said the crew would start by digging an outline of the notch. As many as 200 workers may be needed to complete the operation over the next two weeks.

On completion of the initial notch, geologists predict another 16 feet of already-weakened wall would give way, draining about 530 million cubic feet of water in five hours. The lake contains an estimated 7 trillion cubic feet of water.

About 200 villagers in the likely path of the water have moved to safer areas. Emergency officials plan to warn other residents when workers are ready to breach the crater.

Scientists hope the notch will permanently avert a crater collapse.

In 1991, an eruption that killed 800 people and spewed billions of tons of debris blew off Pinatubo's top, leaving a hole with an area of about 2 square miles in its summit. The opening has acted as a collecting pot for rainwater.

In June 1998, a similar crater lake collapsed in Nicaragua's Casita volcano under pressure from Hurricane Mitch. More than 2,000 people were killed.

Pinatubo, sitting atop a massive magma lake, remains classified as one of the Philippines' 22 active volcanos. Scientists believe the volcano comes to life only every few centuries. Before 1991, the volcano had not exploded for 460 to 500 years.

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2001