00:00 The Piparo Mud Volcano has been showing signs of increased activity, frequent blasts of
00:11 mud and loud hissing of gas.
00:15 Known for a major eruption in February 1997 which covered three homes and displaced more
00:22 than 100 people, the volcano continues to keep its neighbours tense with unease over
00:28 whether or not a repeat will occur.
00:31 "We are in Piparo next to the mud volcano.
00:35 Around yesterday lunchtime we started hearing noises coming from the volcano at an increased
00:40 rate.
00:41 This morning we realised that the whole back structure had moved an additional approximately
00:46 one foot to the left.
00:50 The noise continued the whole night last night until now."
00:55 Fidel Solomon and his family, like many of the others in the immediate vicinity, are
01:01 keeping a close eye on the situation and advisedly so.
01:09 Geologist Xavier Munan confirms the activity has significantly increased with mud blasting
01:16 as high as 20 feet sometimes.
01:18 "There is a noticeable, like I said, very noticeable amount of gas coming off from the
01:23 mud volcano.
01:24 This is more than normal, more than we've seen even in 2019.
01:31 As such, my recommendation would be that people stay away from the mud volcano itself.
01:36 Stay a fair distance away.
01:38 You can see it and you can hear it from quite a distance still.
01:42 But the area will need to be cordoned off because of the amount of gas coming out from
01:47 it, at least until the activity dissipates a bit."
01:52 Mr Munan says normal activity at this location is the spewing of mud once per day.
01:58 As of midday on Thursday, it's been spewing mud out of the main vent once every 70 seconds.
02:08 Up until midday on Thursday, there were no barriers stopping people from walking straight
02:13 up to the active site.
02:15 But Munan warns it's not advisable.
02:18 "This is natural gas.
02:20 It does have small amounts of H2S within it, but it's predominantly natural gas, which
02:31 is flammable.
02:34 As such, you don't want people around here potentially triggering that to explode."
02:46 Cindy Raghuban Tikasingh, TV6 News.
02:49 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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