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Asian Program for
Regional Capacity Enhancement for Landslide
Impact Mitigation (RECLAIM)
Landslide Mitigation
Demonstration Project in
Philippines
Introduction
The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries
in the world because of its geographic
location and geologically active
environment. It is characterized by high
seismicity, active volcanism, frequent
landslides, and flooding. This island
nation is part of the Pacific Rim of Fire
where most of the active volcanoes are
located. It is along the path of tropical
cyclones that bring an average of 30
typhoons a year. It is bounded by trenches
and traversed by active faults. A third of
the country’s land area consists of steep
mountainous slopes. The confluence of these
factors makes the Philippines prone to
natural hazards, particularly landslides.
Recent occurrences claimed hundreds of lives
and caused significant property damage in
Cherry Hills-Antipolo (1999), Panaon Island-Surigao
(2003), and Aurora-Quezon (2004). On 17
February 2006, a rockslide-avalanche
happened in St. Bernard, Southern Leyte and
killed more than one thousand people; it is
perhaps the most catastrophic landslide in
Philippine history.
With its adverse geologic and climatic conditions, the
Philippines will continue to suffer from the
disastrous effects of landslides unless
appropriate preparedness and mitigation
measures are instituted. A landslide area
in Baguio City, northern Luzon is proposed
as site for the Landslide Mitigation
Demonstration Project (LMDPs) under the
RECLAIM program of the ADCP. Triggers of
landslides are present in this area because
Baguio City lies along a typhoon belt and
the active Philippine Fault Zone; it is a
mountain city and landslides occur yearly.
Identification of the Landslide Problem
in Baguio City
In a recent field observation by the proponents, the two
major highways leading to Baguio City show
signs of distress. Various engineering
mitigation measures have been applied and
this indicates the gravity of the problem.
The city is a major tourist destination, the
main trading center for temperate
vegetables, fruits, and cut flowers. The
mining industry is also well established.
Cracks that are progressively growing on the two identified
slopes in Baguio City indicate impending
failure. The likelihood of a slope failure
is high due to attendant triggers such as
earthquakes and heavy precipitation. As
Baguio City is a highly urbanized mountain
city (population: 250,000), this puts the
communities located even right at the slopes
at risk. Such conditions are also suitable
sites for instrumentation, community
preparedness, and implementation of
landslide mitigation measures. These sites
have good accessibility, and the local
government is supportive of efforts to
address the problem.
Moreover, in general, no effort has ever been made to
monitor critical slopes in the Philippines.
Hence, the database that will result from
this project will be greatly beneficial in
understanding landslide processes.
Description of the selected study area
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Objectives
Long term goals
To develop a demonstration project for the
investigation, instrumentation, and
structural mitigation of a landslide-prone
area in the Philippines that may serve as a
basis for methodology replication in other
landslide vulnerable areas.
To build a database of critical slopes in an
effort to better understand the mechanics of
impending landslides.
Specific objectives
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To gather baseline data of a
landslide-prone area in order to
characterize the environment, identify
the elements at risk, and make a
preliminary assessment of landslide
vulnerability to identify the most
critical areas.
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To set up a system of instruments in the
most critical area to monitor slope
movements, rainfall, and sub-surface
conditions in order to establish
patterns that may help forecast slope
failure.
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To train local government technical
personnel and local inhabitants in
interpreting field observations and
instrument-generated data which are
useful in identifying landslide
precursors and understanding its
evolution.
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To develop a community-based system for
landslide monitoring, awareness
building, and reporting.
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To identify and recommend appropriate
indigenous and low-cost landslide
mitigation measures (combination of
engineering and soft-intervention
measures) with the local government in
order to incorporate these measures in
their local disaster preparedness plan.
Expected Outputs
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GIS-based engineering
geologic map and risk map showing highly
susceptible areas to landslides
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Field and instrumental
monitoring data on the slope collected
for the 2-year duration
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Training module on
landslide detection and interpretation
for local observers
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Recommendations for
appropriate low-cost mitigation measure
for the sites
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Landslide mitigation facility
Partners
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University of the Philippines Diliman
Diliman, Quezon City
Philippines 1101
www.upd.edu.ph
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National Institute of Geological Science
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College of Engineering
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Our Partner
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RECLAIM
is funded by the Royal Norwegian Ministry
for Foreign Affairs. |
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