Residents are being urged to remain vigilant, prepare and keep communicating with the various agencies as the Piparo mud volcano continues to show signs of an impending eruption.
At another community meeting, senior geoscientist Xavier Moonan told villagers based on the results of the seismic tomography surveys they have been conducting at the volcano: “It is not looking good.”
“We can’t say exactly when (the volcano will erupt),” Moonan told villagers on Saturday.
Since the volcano began showing increased activity last month, resulting in extensive damage to at least one home, he said the fractures have continued to widen.
“What we are seeing is that the area is still subsiding,” he said, adding that there has been a lot of rainfall that would have made the area more saturated which increases the risk of it erupting.
Rodney Smart, chief executive officer of Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM), assured villagers that all the stakeholders are developing an emergency response plan.
ODPM’s Anwar Baksh assured residents that the police have given the assurance that they will remain in charge of security of their homes in the event that they have to evacuate the area.
Despite the impending danger, resident Latifoon Hosein said leaving their home will be the last resort.
She recalled that when the last major eruption occurred in 1997 residents experienced more theft at their home rather than damage.
Hosein said they are more much prepared and informed than before.
However, she said residents have been having sleepless nights. They have been hearing frequent rumblings from the volcano and more cracks are appearing on residents’ properties.
“Up to this morning, loud noises were coming from the volcano.”
She said the residents were taking turns in keeping vigil in the event that the volcano erupts.
The villagers also requested lights at the site so they could see if any activity was taking place in the night.