Landslide

A landslide is described as an outward and downward slope movement of an abundance of slope-forming materials including rock, soil, artificial or even a combination of these things. It occurs in variety of environments, characterized from mountain ranges to coastal cliffs. Gravity is the primary driving force for a landslide to occur, but there are factors affecting slope stability which produce specific conditions that make a slope prone to failure. In many cases, the landslide is triggered by a specific event such as heavy rainfall, an earthquake, a slope cut to build a road and many others.

            Landslides are not uncommon in the Philippines. In mountainous areas, heavy rainfall has often triggered landslides in the past. Last September 2018, a heavy monsoon rains caused a landslide in Naga City, Cebu affecting at least two Barangays. Limestone and soil on the mountainside softened due to the rain, and it collapsed on a number of houses.

TREES: Protection from Landslide

            Loss of forest cover does have a serious impact of landslides. This is because forest cover can play a vital role in maintaining land stability- both by absorbing the rain that can cause it to slip, and by securing soil and other vegetable matter to the bedrock with tree roots.

            Heavy rain storms are frequent in the Philippines, and were also thought to be the trigger for landslide.

            Planting trees is a must. Trees contribute immensely in preserving soil. Far reaching roots hold soil in place and fight erosion. In addition, trees absorb and store rainwater, which reduce runoff and sediment deposit after storm. They hold the soil together so that erosion is prevented. They absorb rain during rainy days such that water runoff is prevented from going down low-lying areas like residential places and streets.

            The environmental group Cordillera Ecological Center (CEC) in Baguio City explained: “When there are no trees to protect the soil, gully erosion occurs because the shape of the terrain concentrates water flows over or through the land, and the soil is not cohesive enough to prevent soil loss.

            Recently, human activities have been claimed to be the roots causes of some events until now considered natural disaster.

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