Several towns in Central and Western Visayas remain under high alert as rains which could trigger a lahar flow in areas near the rumbling Kanlaon Volcano, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said.

“Tumataas talaga ‘yung pag-release ng gasses na ginagamit nilang parameters na posibleng pagsabog ng Kanlaon,” OCD Director Edgar Posadas said in a news forum.

“Muddy flows pa lang ‘yung nandoon pero hindi pa daw ‘yun lahar. We hope na hindi mauwi doon,” he said.

It will be considered critical if the rainfall level reaches 60 millimeters per day, he said.

In June, heavy rain washed lahar — or destructive volcanic mud — through parts of Negros Occidental after Kanlaon spewed ash, rocks and gasses five kilometers into the sky.

So far, at least 17,000 families or 57,000 individuals from Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental have been affected by the rumbling volcano, according to data from the OCD.

The number is still moving as the situation in the Visayas continues to develop.

Earlier this week, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned the public against a possible magmatic eruption of the Kanlaon Volcano, saying that state volcanologists recorded the highest level of sulfur dioxide from the volcano since 2009.

The rumbling Kanlaon has belched 9,985 tons of sulfur dioxide per day, said Phivolcs division chief Mariton Bornas.

State volcanologists could not predict when exactly the volcano would erupt, Bornas said.

“Hindi po natin masasabi sa ngayon kung ano ‘yung oras, araw o linggo o buwan puputok ang bulkan,” she said.

“Kailangan araw-araw nating ina-analisa at ine-evaluate lalo sa isang  bulkan tulad ng Kanlaon na matagal pong hindi pumuputok ng magma,” she added.

The Phivolcs urged local government units near the rumbling volcano to stay on alert and ensure that no individual is staying inside the permanent danger zone. (ABS-CBN News)