MANILA: About 168,300 residential buildings may be heavily damaged and 339,800 partly damaged if a magnitude 7.2 earthquake from the West Valley Fault hits the country, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology warned yesterday.
In a lecture organised by the New Zealand embassy in Makati, Phivolcs chief Renato Solidum Jr also said government scientists have predicted that the fault, from which a powerful quake can emanate, “is ripe for another major movement.”
The West Valley Fault, or the Marikina fault line, starts from the Sierra Madre and runs through Bulacan; Rodriguez, Rizal; Quezon City; the eastern side of Metro Manila including Pasig and Taguig; Muntinlupa; San Pedro and Sta Rosa in Laguna; and ends in Carmona, Cavite.
Solidum said that under this scenario, eight to ten percent of public buildings may sustain heavy damage while 20 to 25 percent may be partly damaged.
A magnitude 7.2 quake can also leave 33,500 people dead and 113,600 injured, and the temblor can affect lifelines like water pipes, electricity, bridges and communication facilities. “We don’t want this scenario to happen; we have to do something so it won’t happen,” Solidum said.
The Philippine star
