Rain gauge proves worth in predicting landslides, floods

By Dexter A. See

TADIAN, Mountain Province – The use of a standard rain gauge here proved to be a vital tool in predicting the occurrence of landslides and floods during heavy downpour and natural calamities, experts from the Mountain province State Polytechnic College said here Friday.

Through rain gauge reading in Barangay Kayan here, MPSPC engineers predicted the occurrence of a landslide along the Baguio-Bontoc-Banaue road or Halsema highway, particularly at the Gonogon section, during the height of super typhoon Juan.

On Oct. 18, engineers Domingo Pilpilen and Angel San Jose, Jr. monitored the gauge from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

At around 4:30 pm that day, Pilpilen notified the municipal and provincial disaster risk reduction and management councils that the rainfall level reached the level whereby it was possible that landslides and floods will occur in various parts of the province.

After a few minutes, the predication came true as huge debris started to block the Gonogon section of the highway and that the same was true in the nearby communities affected by the typhoon where heavy rains prevailed.

The manually read rain gauge was donated to MPSPC by the Department of Science and Technology through the intercession of Daniel Peckley, an engineer and Balik Scientist.

Peckley had been assisting the State-run institution in the formulation of measures that will prevent landslides and floods in the province.

With the successful utilization of the rain gauge in the prediction of landslides and floods in the province, MPSPC officials are now considering utilization of the equipment to relay information to certain places if their areas are in danger due to heavy rainfall.

Peckley also provided the institution necessary information to easily detect geohazard areas in remote areas even without appropriate equipment so they could provide residents with information for them to vacate their houses during heavy downpour.

Dr. Nieves A. Dacyon, MPSPC president, cited the successful landslide prediction effort of the institution, saying despite its limited resources and equipment, this was indication there are alternatives on how to mitigate negative effects of climate change on safety of people in different towns.

Mountain province is one of the identified landslide-prone areas in the country because of its highly fractured soil and rock formation.