Despite recent fears that underground volcanic activity might be responsible for water level changes at the Boiling Lake in Dominica, the government said there is no cause for alarm. The Minister for National Security and Home Affairs, Rayburn Blackmoore, said the volcanic alert level remains at green – signifying that there is no underground volcanic acivities at all.
Since its discovery in 1876, the Boiling Lake has become a tourist attraction in Dominica and a centre for seismic research in the country. The UWI Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC) has been monitoring water fluctuations in the hot lake and investigating volcanic activities in the region for several decades. The Office of Disaster Management (ODM) has also been keeping an eye on the lake for many years.
Blackmoore agreed that the water level at the Boiling Lake has dropped significantly, but this is not related to any seismic activity since scientific investigations reveal that the volcanoes underground remain dormant and inactive. He however warned people to stay clear of the lake since harmful gases may have been released into the air and this may be detrimental to human health.
“The lake levels have dropped significantly, and have been restored at least eight times in the past,” Blackmoore said. “However, it is important to note that during this period, harmful gases such as carbon dioxide can be released and small steam explosions may occur…there is no need for panic.”
After a tour guide reported on November 18 that he suspected significant activity at the lake, government officials from UWI-SRC, ODM, and the Division of Forestry and National Parks visited the lake on November 22. They found that underground volcanic activity at the lake remains within the normal range, but warned that people should not swim or get too close to the lake.
Blackmoore reported that the Boiling Lake was drained on November 8, 2016 and it returned to its normal state on January 10, 2017.
This article is copyright © 2021 DOM767
