Turrialba Volcano Eruptions Disrupt Farming in Costa Rica

Frequent eruptions of Costa Rica's Turrialba Volcano over the past month have greatly affected the agriculture and husbandry industries of several surrounding areas.

Located in the Turrialba canton in the central province of Cartago, the volcano has experienced more than four eruptive activities this month, according to the Costa Rican Volcanology and Seismic Observatory (Ovsicori).

The biggest eruption reportedly lifted flying particles into a column measuring over 3,000 metres in height from the volcano's crater.

The ash headed towards the Valle Central, an area where Costa Rica's most populated cities are located, according to the Ovsicori researh center.

Police authorities have evacuated residents from communities close to the volcano.

Among them is farmer Guillermo Solano, who alone has 15 hectares of potato fields nearby the danger zone and is breeding 60 cows.

Videos shot on his smart phone amid the volcano eruption showed the devastation caused by the eruption, which left all his crops covered with thick ash.

"The volcano ash was thick and heavy, overwhelming all my crops. And rain turned the ash into something like concrete. As for the cows, we had to feed them with plants from greenhouses, as grass on the ground was inedible. Outdoor water was undrinkable, and one of the biggest influences is that the power supply was cut off," Solano said.

Faced with Turrialba's worsening volcanic activity over the past few weeks, the National Emergency Commission declared a yellow alert, the second-highest of a three-level alert system, in the communities closeby the volcano as well as reminding people to protect themselves and their animals.