1,000 families to be relocated due to coastal erosion in General Santos City

 

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1000 Families To Be Relocated Along Coastal Area Due to Erosion in General Santos City – Photo by RONALD VELASQUEZ – www.plnmedia.com

The city Government of General Santos City (GenSan) has decided to relocate the remaining 1,000 families that live along the coastal waterfront area that has shown signs of a massive sinkhole recently. 

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The families living in Purok Rinago in Barangay Dadiangas South in GenSan will be evacuated as the erosion appears to be getting worse. 

Mayor Ronnel Rivera said “I want everyone to be safe,” and he and his team will force evacuation of the area as soon as possible. The families will be relocated to Purok Lanton in Barangay Apopong and consists of a three-hectare settlement area for the residents of the coastal region.

“If some will not heed our warnings, then we will give a waiver that the local government will not be responsible if something will happen to them,” Rivera said.

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38 families have already been removed from Tinago due to the erosion issue which was discovered in February. Those 38 families were resettled in what is known as Promised Land in Barangay Mabuhay, a location owned by the local government for informal settlers.

“Few metres from the shores of Tinago, there is an underwater precipice (steep cliff) around 25 metres deep. Throughout the years, the movement of the sea has eroded parts of this cliff, thus causing the erosion,” Dr Agripino Dacera, action officer of the city disaster risk reduction management office, said.

Rivera said that the landslide type hole may erode farther, creating more issues with relocating those who call their home along the edge of the waters in GenSan. 

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Latest date on the coastal erosion issues shows that the hole has grown to 70 metres in diameter and is about 640 metres deep.