Piparo residents flee amid volcano rumblings

Kim Seebaran, a Piparo resident, describes the mud volcano rumblings on December 29. - Photos by Innis Francis

ACTIVITY at the Piparo Mud Volcano appears to have simmered down since last week's event, but a small number of residents have chosen to leave the area after a geological assessment determined the feature was "very active" and posed a high risk to the surrounding community.

Living alone in a wooden structure along Panchoo Trace, Kim Seebaran, 65, said she has barely slept or eaten since last week's event, as she recalled the terror of hearing her roof buckle and the nearby utility pole leaning with the accompanying earth movement. Having read a University of the West Indies (UWI) geological report, which stated that the data shows the mud and pressure moving in a northwesterly direction toward her home, she said she is now ready to give up 32 years of history on the land to rent in Chaguanas.

"It coming this way...maybe, we don't know next time what would happen."

She said she will move into her new apartment by the weekend. Having grown up in the Piparo area, Seebaran said she never thought of leaving the community until last week's incident.

Fedell Solomon, whose house at the corner of Panchoo Trace and Piparo Road was among the hardest hit last week, said his mother-in-law was on her way to pick up his three daughters, ages nine, five and three.

He said, given last week's event and the UWI report, he figures it would be easier to evacuate six occupants from his home instead of nine, should the volcano erupt. He said it was not an easy decision to make, as this would be the first time his daughters were away from him.

Sybil Badall who lives at Robinson Hill, Piparo, struggles to close her gates on December 29. Parts of the community, including homes and roads were affected by the land movement caused by the rumbling mud volcano in the area on December 24.

"You feel tied. Your hands are behind your back, but you're in a position where life is important."

"(If) they are here, you are risking their lives."

The adjoining laundry room to the back of his house shifted a few feet from the main structure, and its roof and wall collapsed during the December 24 activity. His water mains were broken, and the cesspit opened.

He described the UWI report as "frightening" as he now worries an eruption can happen at any moment.

The recent increase in volcanic activity caused a major landslip along the Piparo Road in an area known as Robinson Hill. Apart from rendering the road impassable, the slipping land has begun to claim part of Sybil Badall's house, which now looks as though it rests upon a sheet that's being pulled off a bed. The shed to the side of her house has collapsed, and the house itself has begun to lean, coming apart from the foundation.

Sybil Badall's home at Robinson Hill, Piparo, was damaged by land movement caused by the rumbling mud volcano on December 24.

Her son, Vickram Moonesar, said authorities advised they leave the house and visit nearby shelters. With his eldest son preparing to sit the Secondary Entrance Assessment exam in a few months, he said he was hoping they could be relocated.

Although the road was closed off by police, vehicles were seen attempting to cross the collapsed section. Occupants of a silver Toyota Fielder wagon exited the vehicle to cross on foot so the driver could navigate what was left of the road without the underside scraping.

Shantelle Sookoo and her father said around four families left the area when the volcano began showing increased activity, but have since returned. Admitting she was terrified, she said her family has packed emergency bags and supplies into their car in the event they need to evacuate.

While residents complained about a slow response time of emergency appliances, they commended the authorities for its immediate action in rendering assistance, such as reconnecting electricity and water supplies and beginning work on collapsed sections of road.

'Long-term solution needed'

Solomon believes a long-term solution was required. He said the UWI team's findings now leave the government with three choices to deal with their plight. He said they can do nothing, move residents out, or provide the necessary funding to the UWI research team so it can effectively monitor the volcano and alert the community when an eruption is imminent.

Newsday has been unable to reach Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Khadijah Ameen or Princes Town MP Dr Aiyna Ali for comment on the community's future in light of the UWI report since it was released on December 28.

Newsday was reliably informed that the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management will convene a meeting with emergency responders in the near future to discuss the UWI report and its implications for the existing response plan.

Disregarding the caution sign near the location, occupants of this vehicle had to exit in order for the car to cross the depression at Robinson Hill, Piparo on December 29.

The UWI report, compiled by a team led by Professor of Geomechanics and Geophysics Prof Oshaine Blake and PhD Geoscience candidate Kerneese Ramjarrie, analysed data gathered from instruments stationed around the site. It found that the geological feature is very active and that the risk of further eruptions and surface deformation at the main vent and surrounding areas is high. It also found that the mud was moving toward the northwest of the main vent, and pressure was rapidly building.

The UWI team called for urgent funding so it could enhance its ability to monitor, predict, and mitigate eruption risks, "paving the way for a robust early warning system."

'Hurtful online comments'

Solomon has also taken umbrage at comments on social media about why the families built their homes near the volcano or why they don't move elsewhere. He said his home was built long before the volcano developed, and it is not an easy feat to uproot their entire lives and look for somewhere that can accommodate the nine members of his household.

"It's really disheartening to see where we are as a country, seeing comments being made like that."

Many of the families Newsday spoke with during the course of this developing story have lived in the area for several generations, with at least one on the northeastern side tracing its roots back five generations.

The volcano is the most active of 32 in the country, and violently erupted in February 2017, covering surrounding areas in thick mud, damaging homes and forcing the evacuation of 300 people. It has since had two notable periods of heightened activity: October 2019 and on Christmas Eve. The recent event was described as the worst since the 1997 eruption.