Think that Suðurstrandarvegur road will not be impacted by the lava flow
Lava has been running south coming close to Suðurstrandarvegur road. Hörður Kristleifsson
Minister of Justice Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir said she was pleased to see how well the defence walls have been maintained and that the decisions that have been taken in connection with the defence development at Grindavík and Svartsengi have been a great success.
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However, the need to strengthen and increase the existing walls is being considered, but concerns have been raised about the lava ponds that have formed at the walls.
“If [the lava ponds] break, it could have a significant impact, but right now we think that Suðurstrandarvegur road will not be impacted by the lava flow,” she says.
A map showing the latest eruption fissure (dark red line). The orange areas show the lava tongues and the longer one is running southward towards Suðurstrandarvegur road. Map/mbl.is
Position evaluation on Monday morning
The government’s meeting was held this morning and according to the agenda on the Government’s website, earthquakes on the Reykjanes peninsula were discussed.
“This was a status evaluation on a Monday morning following the events of the weekend,” Hafsteinsdóttir says, asked about what was discussed in connection with the earthquakes. No decisions were made in connection with further development of defenses in the area.
More gas in this eruption than previous ones
Do you worry about people staying in the area?
“What was unusual this time was that there was more gas than in other eruptions, and there was no notice basically. We’ve all learned a lot this winter, so I’m pleased that evacuation went well, whether it was in the Svartsengi area or in Grindavík, I think there were just three houses with people in them in Grindavík and people had already left. Now there are indications that magma-collection will continue, and while there’s open access to this route in the magma chamber, we can expect recurring events.”
In the future, she says that it is under consideration whether the defensive walls and the pipelines in the area need to be strengthened even more.
“The Njarðvík pipeline has been weighed down, but there is a huge heat involved in this proximity to the lava. We will continue to try hard to develop important infrastructure in the region.”
