THE Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) clarified on Wednesday that speculations regarding the milky, hot water streaming along a creek in Barangay Balabagon, Manito, Albay are not related to the ongoing unrest at Mayon Volcano.
Residents reported the flow of steam and sulfuric fumes from the creek, which they said was an unusual occurrence. “For the longest time that we’ve been here, this is the first time we’ve seen the water turn milky. They said it smells like sulfur. I’m worried about the health of my constituents,” said barangay captain Jose Larry Dawan.
Phivolcs clarified that the phenomenon is likely caused by a hot spring, possibly linked to an extinct volcano in the area.
“Regarding these kinds of phenomena, sometimes the river turns white because of hot springs discharging into it,” said DOST supervising science research specialist Paul Alanis. “Actually, there is an inactive volcano there called the DOL Hills, which is already extinct.
However, there may still be residual heat from underground. In fact, there are plans to utilize the area for geothermal power,” he added. Phivolcs said the milky color and sulfuric stench could be due to related minerals present in the water.
