Piparo Residents Brace For Evacuation As Mud Volcano Activity Increases
Uncertainty looms over the Piparo community this Christmas Eve, as ongoing activity from the area’s mud volcano has caused visible damage to infrastructure and left residents on edge.
Cracked ground, damaged homes, and impassable roads are now forcing families to prepare for the possibility of a sudden evacuation.
As the activity continues without warning, villagers say they are listening closely and staying ready.
Resident Fedell Solomon detailed some of the effects his family is now coming to terms with while preparing for a potential evacuation.
« Our cesspit is opened. Our whole back has been destroyed. There are tiles cracking all inside our house, all over around in the house. The road is currently impassable. All these activities are happening from the volcano. The activity is still ongoing. I’m sure you may be hearing what is going on in the back there. It is constant, so when it started it was an interval of five seconds, now you’re hearing it immediately one after the other, so we don’t know what is going to happen. We can’t predict what is going to happen, but as a matter of fact, for all the villagers, we have our bags packed and ready in the event that we have to leave on short notice. »
Another resident, Samlal Harrilal, also shared what he witnessed.
« I went up there this morning. I saw the little mud it throwing out, the fumes and then the crack on the ground, and then later on I got information that the road was going back down on the old road. The road is impassable at this time because of a lot of cracks. The next step, we would have to take advice from the Disaster Management, try and secure what I have here, and move out. »
