Three municipalities of Risaralda are on alert for ash emission from the Nevado del Ruiz volcano

After the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory declared a yellow alert on the Nevado del Ruiz volcano due to recent seismic activity, the Government of Risaralda warned that, in the coming days, ash falls could occur in the municipalities of Santa Rosa, Pereira and Dosquebradas.

In a dialogue with RCN Radio, the director of the Risaralda Risk Management Office, Diana Carolina Ramírez, explained that it was the wind direction recorded in recent days that would be moving the volcanic material towards the department.

In fact, on the afternoon of this Wednesday, March 23, Aeronáutica Civil reported that, due to the presence of volcanic ash in the vicinity of Matecaña airport, in Pereira, area operations were affected for several hours.

“For the same reason, some procedures may also be affected at airports in Carthage and Armenia. (...) Air operators monitor the situation to minimize the impact on users,” added the air authority.

Although operations at Pereira airport returned to normal hours later, upon the alert, the Government of Risaralda called on departmental relief agencies and the community at large to implement action plans that can be implemented in the territory in the event of an emergency.

Likewise, the Government of Risaralda announced to its inhabitants four actions that can be implemented, in the event of earthquakes and/or ash emissions in the department:

1. Know the evacuation indications and identify the meeting points.

2. Participate in drills.

3. Get your emergency suitcase ready.

4. Make a community emergency plan.

For its part, the Colombian Geological Survey reported that it continues to monitor the evolution of the volcanic phenomenon. Similarly, it asked Colombians to consult and keep abreast of the official information published in this regard on the entity's website: www.sgc.gov.co.

It is worth remembering that this is not the first time this month that the Colombian Geological Survey has warned about the fall of ash in areas surrounding the Nevado del Ruiz volcano. On March 1, the entity alerted through its information channels that volcanic material was reported falling in the city of Manizales and in the municipality of Villa María.

“Through the cameras installed in the volcano area and the report of officials from the Los Nevados National Natural Park, the confirmation of gas and ash emissions associated with some of these signals was made,” the Geological Survey reported.

Given the emission of ash from the volcano during that date, the entity reported that the yellow alert would be maintained in the geological structure, since an acceleration of the volcanic process in it and, consequently, changes in its activity were not ruled out.

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