Special Issue on Enhancement of Earthquake and Volcano Monitoring and Effective Utilization of Disaster Mitigation Information in the Philippines

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This special issue of JDR features 18 papers and reports on an international 2010 to 2015 cooperative project entitled “Enhancement of Earthquake and Volcano Monitoring and Effective Utilization of Disaster Mitigation Information in the Philippines.” This project is being conducted under the SATREPS program (Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development), cosponsored by the JST (Japan Science and Technology Agency) and JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency).

The Philippines is one of the world’s most earthquake and volcano disaster-prone countries because it is located along the active boundary between the Philippine Sea Plate and Eurasian Plate. Collisions by the two plates generate plate subductions and crustal stress that generates earthquakes and volcanic activities on the archipelago.

The Philippines has experienced numerous disastrous earthquakes, the most recent being the 1990 M7.8 Luzon earthquake, which killed over 1,000 local residents. A damaging earthquake also occurred during this 5-year project, in October 2013, on Bohol Island, causing about 200 deaths when houses and other buildings collapsed.

Volcanoes are another major killer in the Philippines. The largest in the last century was when the Taal volcano erupted in 1911, killing 1,300 by a base surge. The 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption is known as the largest volcanic event in the 20^th century. The Mayon volcano is also known to be a beautiful but dangerous volcano that frequently erupts, causing lahars – steaming moving fluid masses of volcanic debris and water – that damaged villages at the foot of the mountain.

The PHIVOLCS (Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology), a governmental agency mandated to monitor earthquakes and volcanoes, provides earthquake and volcano information and alerts to the public. It also conducts research on the mechanisms behind such natural phenomena and on evaluating such hazards and risks. The PHIVOLCS’s other mission is educating people and society on being prepared for disasters. Earthquake and volcano bulletins and alerts, research output, and educational materials and training provided by PHIVOLCS have enriched knowledge and enhanced measures against disaster.

The primary target of this SATREPS project is to enhance existing monitoring networks, whose equipment has been provided by Japanese ODA (Official Development Aid). Through the SATREPS project, we have introduced the latest technology to provide the public with more accurate information more quickly. This project also promotes research for deepening the understanding of earthquakes and volcano activities in better assessing hazard and risk.

Project components, tasks, and main Japanese organizations are as follows:

1) Earthquake and tsunami monitoring, NIED

1-1) Advanced real-time earthquake source information, Nagoya University

1-2) Real-time seismic intensity network, NIED

1-3) Tsunami monitoring and forecasting, NIED, JMA 2) Evaluation of earthquake generation potential, Kyoto University

2-1) Campaign and continuous GPS observation, Kyoto University, GSI

2-2) Geological and geomorphological studies of earthquake faults, Kyoto University

3) Integrated real-time monitoring of the Taal and Mayon volcanoes, Nagoya University

3-1) Seismic and infrasonic observation, Nagoya University

3-2) Continuous GPS monitoring, Kyoto University

3-3) Electromagnetic monitoring, Tokai University

4) Provision of disaster mitigation information and promotion of utilization, NIED

4-1) Simple seismic diagnosis, NIED

4-2) Tsunami victims interview manga (comic book form) and DVD, NIED

4-3) Disaster information portal site, NIED

This issue’s first article ...

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