Lava flows from the crater of Mount Mayon volcano (Photo: Reuters) Hanoi (VNA) – The Philippine authorities have faced sanitation problems at temporary shelters around the erupting Mayon volcano in the central province of Albay. President Rodrigo Duterte flew to Legazpi city, Albay province to assess the disaster zone. Authorities have thrown a nine kilometer no-go zone around the mountain with the vast majority of those living in its shadow now safely outside that radius. Al Francis Bichara, Albay Governor, said authorities expect the evacuees will need to stay at the camps for at least a month. The official cited the lack of toilets at the shelters, where an average of 200 people now took turns using one, saying the evacuees need a total of up to 1,800 toilets. The eruption was not over despite a relatively quiet weekend, estimating some 50 million cubic meters of more debris have the potential to be ejected from the crater in the coming days and weeks. If cooling lava blocks, the crater gas pressure would build up and cause the magma inside to explode, producing eruption columns far taller than the five-kilometer clouds seen in previous days. The 2,460-meter Mayon, a perfect cone rising 330 kilometers southeast of Manila, is one of the country’s most active volcanoes. Mayon’s sporadic eruption, which began on January 13, has affected 54 villages in Albay, displacing nearly 91,000 people as of January 29. It also killed more than 1,200 people and buried three towns in 1814.-VNA
In a statement on January 22, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned that Mayon volcano in Albay province has been exhibiting increased seismic unrest, lava fountaining and summit explosions. Therefore, the institute extended the danger zone to 8 km radius from the summit vent, while urging pilots not to fly near the volcano's summit.Phivolcs upgraded the volcano to alert level four just a few minutes after the erupted lava at about noon on January 22.Several hours before placing the volcano under alert level four, the Phivolcs indicated that 500-metre and 200-metre high lava fountains were generated at…... [read more]
The project lasting from now to 2015 will help improve environmental sanitation conditions for 1.4 million rural residents in Dong Thap, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Quang Binh, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Hai Duong and Ninh Binh provinces. According to the World Health Organization, poor sanitation conditions kill 20,000 Vietnamese people and cause a damage of US$778 million every year. Increasing the sanitation access rate and changing hygiene behavior play an important role in attaining the goal of sanitation improvement under the National Target Program for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation of Vietnam's Government. The program calls for joint efforts of…... [read more]
CPV: "Lack of toilets and hand washing facilities in homes and schools is seriously affecting children's health in rural areas", said the United Nations on Tuesday (March 25) at the workshop to launch the National Baseline Survey on Environmental Sanitation and Hygiene Situation in Vietnam and to support the International Year of Sanitation 2008. A new national survey on sanitation and hygiene by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) concludes that the situation is dire and needs immediate attention to ensure the country remains on a path of social, economic and health development. While Vietnam…... [read more]
Lava flows from the crater of Mount Mayon volcano (Source: Romeo Ranoco/Reuters) Manila, January 26 (VNA) - The Philippines is preparing for a possible three-month-long emergency in areas around erupting Mount Mayon, said the local disaster agency. Mount Mayon in the central province of Albay remained at alert level 4, a notch below the highest level, as it continued to spew lava, ash and other superheated materials, displacing more than 81,000 people living nearby. Romina Marasigan, spokeswoman of the country's disaster agency, said evacuated residents will have to live in 69 temporary shelters for a long time. Food and other…... [read more]
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said that Mount Mayon has spewed lava up to 600 meters (2,000 feet) high every seven minutes in one hour.Earlier, local authorities raised alert level to four in a five-level alert system.Schools in 17 cities in Albay and Camarines Sur provinces have been closed, while 56 flights have been cancelled.Currently, 55,068 people are taking shelter in evacuation camps, while 6,165 others have had to leave their houses for safer places after local authorities expanded the no-go zone to 9 kilometers (5 miles) from the crater instead of 8 kilometers previously. The 2,462m Mount Mayon,…... [read more]
