MALOLOS CITY—Be careful with blastings in Sierra Madre. This might induce movements in the West Valley Fault (WVF) and may result to powerful earthquake.
This was the appeal of Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado to agencies that will implement the construction of a 600-meter tunnel that will link Sumag River to the 13-kilometer Umiray-Angat Transbasin Project (UATP) tunnel that drains to the Angat Dam.
However, the National Power Corporation (Napocor) made assurance that the blasting would not affect the WVF because it is controlled and far from the fault line. Alvarado expressed apprehension on Saturday as the planned strengthening of the 47-year-old Angat Dam dike remains to be implemented.
“We received reports that contractors of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) will conduct dynamite blasting in the construction of the Sumag tunnel,” he said. He also said that cement companies near the area are also conducting blasting operations to mine cement blocks.
“They have to be very, very careful, it might affect the West Valley Faultline which might generate and earthquake,” he said noting studies showed that Angat Dam’s dike is sitting on a splay or branch of the fault line.
He said that such finding was one of the main reasons for the planned rehabilitation of the dam which remained to be implemented. For his part, Engineer Rodolfo German, the general manager of the Napocor’s Angat River Hydro Electric Power Plant in Norzagaray town, made assurance that the blasting won’t affect the fault line.
He said that blasting will be controlled and is conducted within the jurisdiction of General Nakar in Quezon Province.
“It’s too far from the fault line, besides, it will controlled,” said German. He said contractors will use blasting because the tunnel that will be constructed is just 600 meters long.
