Earth Science

G – 20

Timbol, J.D.M. | Meson

 Mineral Resources

In Pantukan, Compostella Valley, At least 25 people were killed on January 5, 2012 when
a landslide buried gold prospectors who had refused to leave an area declared too dangerous for
habitation.

The mountain was known for its gold-rich minerals which draws prospectors. A few
histories of landslides can be traced in the places nearby the mountain and a 2.8 magnitude
earthquake that occurred just a few hours before the disaster. There were lots of tension cracks
and fractured stones beneath the landform. There were already fissures in the ridges in this
particular area and the officials strongly warned the local government unit that they have to
evacuate the residents.

Despite this situation, there were still small scale miners who illegally created tunnels on
the landform in order to obtain gold. The mining tunnels were said to be unregulated making the
mountain unstable. The miners were told to stop the mining operations in the place since 2008.
The local government was also urged to stop giving small-scale mining permits. The officials have
warned the local government and the residents themselves regarding the possible occurrence of
landslide.

The local government failed to implement the ban because ‘they also have other important
things to do.’ They also had a hard time in evacuating the people because their warnings were
‘ignored by the residents.’ Also, there were estimated to about 3,000 mines all around the
watershed.

Figure 1. Aftermath of Landslide in Pantukan Figure 2. Rescuers in Pantukan (source:

(source:in.reuter.com) DiversityHuman.com)

The landslide that occurred was mainly due to the rain, soaking the landform. Since the
area is also highly mineralized, the land became saturated but the poor structure of the mountain
also added to the occurrence of the disaster. This buried a 7500-square-meter land which
happened during dawn resulting to 150 bodies gone missing and at least 25 people were found
dead.

This disaster could’ve been prevented if first, the methods used in mining is safe. But since
most of the miners in the location were small scaled, there weren’t enough budget to create safe
mining tunnels. Instead, miners use dangerous methods in order to mine. One of the possible
methods used is open-pit mining. Open pit mining is less expensive but more dangerous because
it creates large excavations. Large excavations in mountains deforms its structure making the
landform unstable. Another method is creating underground mines. Creating tunnels beneath the
earth can cause the structure of the land to be unstable because it becomes hollow. Due to the
lack of budget, proper equipment can’t also be utilized to create tunnels which makes it unsafe.

Second, living nearby mountains makes the residents more prone to dangerous natural
hazards such as landslides, especially during rainy seasons. Mountains in the Philippines have
the largest source of metals because there are abundant ores. Since mountains are abundant in
ores, this is where large-scale and small-scale miners obtain metals that are utilized for business
and industry. In this case, since gold is abundant in the place, more miners were gathered to
obtain them. And to obtain these metals, mining takes place. Mining makes mountains more prone
to landslides because it weakens the structure of the landforms. This makes areas near
mountains quite unsafe for residence.

Third, this would’ve been prevented if people were responsible and listened to the
warnings and orders given by the government. The mining operations in the affected area were
all illegal. The local government and the residents were given orders to evacuate the residents
and to stop small scale miners from operating but based on what the officials said, their orders
were dismissed. There were still small scale miners and some residents that continued residing
in the area. This is probably due to the lack of source of income. Most of these small scale miners
doesn’t have a stable livelihood and since there is a great value in gold, some still continued their
mining activities. The government should’ve at least provided an alternative livelihood to the
residents if evacuated in order to ensure them a work that they can earn livelihood from.

Sources:

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/123117/25-dead-150-missing-in-philippine-landslide

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/764958/compostela-landslide-kills-25
 Energy Resources

An oil tanker that sank in the Philippines on August 2006 has leaked tons of fuel, affecting
the local marine and coastal ecosystems. This was addressed as the worst oil spill in the
Philippine history.

The M/V Solar 1, owned by Petron, spilled 2.4 million litres of oil off the waters of Guimaras
Island. As of the 17th of August 2006, 200 000 litres of oil were leaked affecting 24km 2 area. The
oils spill affected coastal areas in Guimaras, Panay, and Negros Island. The spill has headed up
through the Guimaras Strait.

Figure 1. Affected Areas of the Oil Spill (source:wwf.panda.org)

The oil spill has affected life forms residing near the coastal areas. Dead fishes and other
marine creatures were found dead on the shores. It was also said that the fumes can clog the
lungs and airway of humans and the fuel can induce skin diseases upon contact. There was an
increased number of residents that fell ill after the incident. Overall, this affected 10 000 residents.

Guimaras strait is considered to be rich in marine life. It is one of the most productive
fishing grounds in the country and a popular tourist spot as well. Due to the oil spill, marine
habitats such as coral reefs and mangroves are highly affected, and this would take several years
to repair and millions of money.

These are the three main reasons on why the ship sank: loss of residual stability or
overloading, loss of reserved buoyancy due to bad weather, and the captain's "incompetence." It
was discovered that the captain’s license was already expired as of 2002. The government also
demanded Php 100 million from Petron.

Oil is the top source of fuel in the country for running vehicles and operating machines.
Oil shipping is not uncommon because most of the source of oil comes from Middle East. Large
amount of oil are being stored in tanks in ships which are used to supply gasoline stations in
different parts of the country. Though it has a lot of benefits when it comes to power supply,
contact and exposure to oil is dangerous for life forms because it contains toxic chemicals that
may induce mostly skin diseases and poisoning if consumed. This oil spill in Guimaras has highly
affected the ecosystem.

This incident would’ve not happened if first, the maritime officials were aware of the
weather on the locations where the ship would sail. But since the change in weather isn’t entirely
predictable by humans, the huge waves that hit the ship wouldn’t have been really avoided but
still, the oil spillage could have been prevented.

Second, this incident wouldn’t have taken place if the ship was fit for voyage. According
to the article, the ship was overloaded and since the maritime officials were aware that they would
transfer a highly dangerous substance through the sea, the oil capacity of the tank should’ve been
checked in order to ensure that an oil spill wouldn’t happen. The captain wasn’t also fit for manning
the ship which shows the ignorance and lack of responsibility of the involved operators of the ship.

So basically, the oil spillage and the sinking of the ship were all mainly due to human
errors and with the addition of a bad weather. Removal of the oil scattered in the sea is quite
difficult and as of today, there is still an ongoing process for cleaning up the affected areas of the
oil spill.

Sources:

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/354256/guimaras-oil-spill-claims-first-fatality

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/15370/probers-find-petron-tanker-firm-captain-
liable-for-oil-spill/story/
 Water Resources

On March 10, 2008, The Department of Health (DOH) confirmed that the typhoid fever
outbreak in Calamba City in Laguna was caused by contaminated water found to have "low
chlorine level."

More than 700 typhoid fever cases were reported in the place. The PNRC has been
assisting local health officials in attending to hospitalized residents by providing free medicines,
tents, and beds.

Based on microbiological testing,

coliform bacteria were present in some water
samples obtained from the water source in
affected areas. Coliform is an organism that
usually indicates the presence of other fecal
bacteria like salmonella typhi.The presence of
coliform bacteria means that the chlorine level
in the water supplied by the Calamba Water
District was insufficient to fully disinfect the
water from disease-causing organisms.
Figure 1. Typhoid fever patients in Calamba
(Source:Rappler)

However, coliform bacteria were not present in all water samples. There were only
"specific areas" where water was found to be contaminated.

Water is one of the basic needs of human beings. Human bodies are mostly consisted of
60% to 75% of water depending on age. Water is mostly used for hydrating, for cooking food and
for cleaning. This shows that most of the use of water for humans is for consumption and in
consumption, it is highly important to ensure that the consumed water is free from any pathogenic
microorganisms that might cause ailments and diseases.

The outbreak of typhoid fever in Calamba due to water contamination would’ve been
prevented if the water were ensured safe for consumption. There are numerous types of avoiding
water contamination and one of this is the use of chlorine. Chlorine is a highly efficient disinfectant,
and is added to public water supplies to kill disease-causing pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses,
and protozoans, that commonly grow in water supply reservoirs, on the walls of water mains and
in storage tanks. According to this article, the amount of chlorine used for the cleaning of water
wasn’t enough to prevent the growth of pathogenic microorganisms. This then caused people
who consumed the contaminated water to develop typhoid fever. In order to prevent suffering
from water contamination, it is only correct to encourage people on boiling water before
consumption.

Source:

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/84102/contaminated-water-caused-typhoid-
outbreak-doh/story/