Giant cracks appeared on Topaz Road in Ortigas Center’s busy central business district last night, prompting emergency first responders to cordon off the area.
As a result, Topaz Rd was closed off to traffic, while the cracks were covered with tarpaulin to prevent any additional water from leaking in. According to a post on the Barangay San Antonio Pasig City Facebook page, security was also deployed to guard the place.
An investigation and assessment is being undertaken by the city government, involving Barangay San Antonio, Pasig City’s Engineering Department and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO), along with the Office of Civil Defense and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS). Affected building administrators, utility providers, and construction companies have also been called in.
According to PHIVOLCS scientists, the fissures were not due to a faultline, as there were none recorded in the area. PHIVOLCS director Renato Solidum told reporters on Super Radyo dzBB earlier today that if it had been caused by a faultline, the area would have experienced strong earthquakes.
Erosion caused by heavy rains, or a shift in the earth caused by construction work in the CBD might have caused the cracks, said Solidum, though the city government has yet to make an announcement on their findings.
In the meantime, the barangay urges everyone in the area to “remain alert and always be prepared.”
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