Beware of mud flood as aftershocks continue, warns geologist

0
Mysterious bubbles emerge in Mesilau river, causing near panic among villagers.

Mysterious bubbles emerge in Mesilau river, causing near panic among villagers.

KOTA KINABALU: Residents of villages at the foot of Mount Kinabalu have been asked to take precautions against possible mud flood as aftershocks from last week’s 5.9-magnitude quake continues to be felt in the area.

The advice came from geologist Professor Dr Felix Tongkul in a statement, which was copied and circulated by WhatsApp users yesterday.

He urged villagers living along the riverbanks here to remain vigilant as mud floods could be dangerous.

“Tremors are continuing in the mountain. This causes landslides in the area and the heavy rain has made the situation worse,” Tongkul said in the statement.

The Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) lecturer, who has been the leading expert monitoring the quake since it hit last Friday, said landslides could block rivers and create temporary dams.

He explained that as rain continues and the water level rises, these dams could break and send large volume of muddy water downriver.

“This could be dangerous. As such, villagers along the rivers whose waters come from the mountain need to be alert and cautious,” he added.

A number of villages situated along the Kadamaian River could be threatened by mud floods or even the landslides.

In fact, residents in some of these villages, such as Kaung, Lobong Lobong, Melangkap and Tambatuon have reported a loud roaring sound coming from the mountain as massive landslides occurred on the side of Mount Kinabalu yesterday.

Photos claimed to be that of the landslides were also circulating in the social media along with pictures of mysterious bubbles and foam appearing in the Mesilau River.

These emerging bubbles have created a near-panic among many people who have expressed concern over wild speculation that it could be a sign of another big quake that may hit Ranau.

Previously, several people have told news reporters that the river in Poring had turned murky before the 5.9 quake took place.

Confirming the mysterious phenomenon, Tongkul said the source of the bubbles was still unknown, and added that chemists would be getting samples, which is believed to be toxic, for study, adding that officials had yet to determine how many areas were affected by the phenomenon.