TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF THE PHILIPPINES

938 Aurora Blvd., Cubao, Quezon City

College of Engineering and Architecture

Department of Environmental and Sanitary Engineering

ENSE 509
Risk and Benefit Analysis in Environmental and Sanitary Engineering
Report no. 1
The Eruption of Mount Pinatubo 1991

Bernardino, Rozzemark C.
Name of Student

Dr. Eugenia Lagmay

Submitted to

November 29, 2017

Outline

• Definition of terms
• Background of the calamity
• Extent of Damages
• Affected Areas
• Effects
• Measures undertaken
• Review of Related Literature
• Comments and Recommendations
 Definition of Terms

• Calamity- is an event that causes great distress, harm, and suffering

• Lahar- a destructive mudflow on the slopes of a volcano.
• Ash Fall- Volcanic ash consists of tiny jagged particles of rock and natural
glass blasted into the air by a volcano.
 Eruption of Mount Pinatubo
• On the island of Luzon in the Philippines lies a
volcano known as Mount Pinatubo.
• It is located at the plate boundary between to the
Eurasian and Philippine Plate.
• Mount Pinatubo is a volcano is covered with
vegetation and has become home to 30,000 people
who lived in villages on its slopes.
• It erupted on June 15, 1991 after 500 years of being
dormant.
• The eruption was detected due to the ash fall that
came from the volcano.
 Extent of Damages

• Considered as one of the most destructive

eruption during the 20th century.
• Wiped out cities and villages below the
volcano.
• Destroyed thousands of personal properties.
• Destroyed bridges and other infrastructures.
• Made thousands of lands become unusable.
 Affected Areas

• The most affected areas of course was the

surrounding area of the volcano itself
namely the cities that it is a boundary of
which are Zambales, Tarlac and lastly
Pampanga which was home to the US
Military Base which is the Clark Air Base.
There were 155 barangays affected in 3
cities and 63 municipalities.
Memories from the Mount Pinatubo Eruption
(Philstar.com)
 Effects

• The effects of the eruption was great. It was

reported that 58,000 people had to be
evacuated from their homes.
• . The number of deaths was stated to be 847,
with 300 being killed through collapsing roofs
and a 100 of people was killed by the lahars.
• Farmlands were deemed unusable due to the
falling ash which caused 650,000 people to
lose their jobs
• The destructive eruption has made the global
temperature rise by 0.5C.
 Measures done by Government and Private
Sectors
• The government had an immediate response of evacuating
the people who lived near the volcano to the evacuation
centres that they built.
• Manila Airport closed
• People were relocated
• Red cross, action aid and Oxfam provided food and blankets
• President Ramos created Mount Pintubo Commission to
raise 10 billion pesos in aid
• New houses was built so future lahars would not bury them
• Norway and UK Government send millions in aid
• OFW’s provided clothings for the victims
 Review of Related Literature:
Socioeconomic Impacts of the Mount Pinatubo
Eruption
(By Remigio A. Mercado,Jay Bertram T. Lacsamana,
and Greg L. Pineda)
During the eruption of Mount Pinatubo which had not only taken the lives of
many but also wrought havoc to the surrounding infrastructure and economic
activities of the affected areas.
It damaged crops, infrastructure and personal properties of the people from
that place which can be totalled to at least 10.1 billion pesos during the 1991
eruption and continuing to 1992 for its aftereffects which cost about 1.9 billion
pesos.
Products and resources that could have been used for economic purposes was
diverted to relief, recovery and prevention of further damage.
The longevity and impact of the calamity that happened was so great that it
was difficult to go back to the way the place has been before it happened.
 Recommendations citing an engineering
perspective
Natural disasters are one of those unavoidable situations that are often
thought as the “payback” of Mother Nature for destroying the Earth. It
is unavoidable no matter what we do, what is bound to happen, will
happen.
In engineering perspective, building of better infrastructures that could
withstand calamities better should could be created, there are many
technologies now that is said to be tested and proven that is able to
withstand the problems brought about by these disasters. In protection
of water ways, such as rivers and other bodies of water, in order to
prevent the further destruction of lahar, a stronger blocking structure
could be created such as dikes and dams.
 References
• https://pubs.usgs.gov/pinatubo/mercado/
• http://www.coolgeography.co.uk/GCSE/Year11/Managing%20Hazards/Volcanoes/
mount_pinatubo.htm
• https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/philippines-mt-pinatubo-volcanic-eruption-
aug-1992-un-dha-situation-reports-1-8
• https://www.usgs.gov/news/remembering-mount-pinatubo-25-years-ago-
mitigating-crisis
• https://www.slideshare.net/Ruth1618/mount-pinatubo-case-study

THANK YOU!