‘Sansinirangan ‘ rises in Tacloban

In 2013, the strongest tropical storm in the world, Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) struck the eastern seaboard of the Philippine archipelago and severely devastating six eastern and central islands before leaving into the West Philippine Sea, hording violent winds of 235 kph and gusts of 275 kph. The seawater rose to up to 20 meters because of storm surge which destroyed buildings and caused casualties and fatalities. Violent winds wrecked several central islands, burying people under tons of debris and leaving corpses scattered everywhere in Tacloban, Leyte. The effects of seawater flooding and inundating the land areas during the storm surge, as well as the effects of rotting cadavers and tons of biomass, could have greatly affected the subsurface water availability, quality and recharge processes as well as that of the marine environment.
The PNRI program for the environment utilizes nuclear analytical techniques in the characterization of the origin and dynamics of groundwater, interconnection between surface and groundwater, transport processes in the unsaturated zone; and identification of pollution sources like seawater, fertilisers, chemical or sewage. Different sources of nitrate and organic matter often have distinctive isotope “fingerprints” that can provide a better understanding of the system when used in tandem with other stable isotopes (18O,& 2H) and mass balance geochemical modelling.
Organic wastes and septic systems release nutrients and pathogens through their drainfields into the ground, to the groundwater and ultimately to surface waters through groundwater discharge. These nutrients and pathogens can potentially contaminate both subsurface and/or surface waters, and seawater if not immediately identified and located. Given the isotopic signature of multiple sources of nitrate with changing inputs, the isotopic signatures of two distinct plumes can be followed and also their mixing. Given the isotopic signature of a single primary source of nitrate with changing source inputs, it is possible to correlate the isotopic signature of down gradient nitrate with time.
Natural attenuation studies utilizes natural processes to restrain the spread of contamination and lessen the concentration, toxicity and amount of contaminants present in a location. Natural attenuation is an in situ management method commonly employed as one component of a site cleanup that also comprises the management or elimination of the cause of contamination. In situ monitoring can facilitate the pace of attenuation and the movement of a contaminant to be forecasted with greater accuracy, with long term monitoring ensuring the attenuation process is continuing successfully in order to attain remediation objectives.
In this study, groundwater and surface water impacts will be investigated using a variety of methodologies, including detailed chemical and isotope analyses of water from repeated sampling of in areas possibly impacted by plumes of high salinity water (2,000-30,000 mg/L TDS) and biomass decomposition brought about by the storm surge and the devastation that resulted thereafter. The mechanisms contributing to nutrient retention include sedimentation, uptake and long-term storage in vegetation, and denitrification. Changing factors that limit nitrogen uptake or denitrification may enhance these processes.
When used in conjunction with hydrogeochemical modelling and radiodating by tritium, the study of isotope abundancies of 15N, 18O, 2H , are among the most powerful tools in the characterization of subsurface and subsurface aquifer, marine sediment and seawater pollution, and in assessing the rate of natural attenuation in these systems.
The IAEA -PNRI TC PHI 5034 : Complementing Conventional Approaches with Nuclear Techniques in the Attenuation of Natural calamities -Borne Contamination in Eastern Visayas. Efforts in Asia, aims to assess the changes in groundwater circulation, dynamics and quality in Tacloban City as a result of Typhoon Haiyan and its accompanying storm surge, and to study the natural attenuation processes in the sites which can be utilized to accelerate the remediation of the affected environment.

Three Publications in the IAEA Newsletter reports the accomplishments of the Project:

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/five-years-on-nuclear-science-enables-young-philippine-chemist-to-study-long-term-impact-of-typhoon-haiyan
https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/publications/magazines/bulletin/bull60-1/6011213.pdf
https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/when-surging-seas-meet-stronger-rain-nuclear-techniques-in-flood-management

The “SANSINIRANGAN”
Sansinirangan is a Waray term for “ Dawn”. This was also the name given to the meteostation with Rainwater Isotope collector design of Eskwala Team of MMC-14 -Class Anluwage for the Project PHI 5034. Mr Raymond J. Sucgang of the Philippine Nuclear Research institute , National Project Counterpart for the IAEA PHI 5034 TC Project wanted a rain collector for isotope studies to be installed in Tacloban City.

He asked the Eskwala Team of MMC-14 of the Development Academy of the Philippines to help him design a rain collector for isotope analysis with built in weather station that is capable of giving online real time information to peoples cellphones through a cloud application.

The team designed a rain collector which at the same time will be beneficial to the people of Tacloban by serving as an early warning device for floods and storms. The concept for the station was sought funding from the IAEA and through the PHI 5034, an amount of two million pesos was slotted by IAEA to construct and install the Sansinirangan. West Point Engineering Supplies Incorporated built the Sansinirangan through a bidding contract with PNRI. In this event , the Sansinirangan will be formally turned over to the people of Tacloban by PNRI Director, Dr Carlo A. Arcilla.

Mr. Dennis T. Ziganay is the CEO of West Point/