19 more volcanoes on alert

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Headlines | Tue, February 04 2014, 9:26 AM

The government has raised the status on another 19 volcanoes in the country to alert
level the second-highest category in the wake of the Mount Sinabung eruption in
North Sumatra that killed 16 people on Saturday.

Besides the 19 new additions, three volcanos have been on high alert status since last
year. They include Lokon and Karangetang in North Sulawesi and Rokatenda in East
Nusa Tenggara.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) issued the raised status on Monday for
the 19 volcanoes, which are scattered across the archipelago, but has yet to call for the
evacuation of populations living nearby.

The 19 volcanoes are Kelud, Ijen, Bromo, Semeru and Raung in East Java; Lewotobi
Perempuan in East Nusa Tenggara; Ibu, Gamkonora, Dukono and Gamalama in North
Maluku; Soputan in North Sulawesi; Sangeang Api in West Nusa Tenggara;
Papandayan in West Java; Dieng in Central Java; Seulewah Agam in Aceh; Talang and
Marapi in West Sumatra; Anak Krakatau in Banten; and Kerinci in Jambi.

Indonesia is among the worlds most seismically active countries, situated on the Pacific
Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. The 19
volcanoes are among about 127 active volcanoes in Indonesia.

Mt. Sinabung has been sporadically erupting since September.

Though the alert level for the 19 volcanoes had been raised, Sutopo called on nearby
residents not to panic.

Volcanoes erupt in stages, they wont suddenly erupt. Their activity can be categorized
from normal to waspada [alert] to siaga [high alert] to awas [danger, the highest level],
he said on Monday.

He said that the BNPB was now keeping an eye on Mount Kelud, whose status was
raised to alert following intensified volcanic activity.

The BNPB decision to raise the status of Mt. Kelud had triggered panic among local
residents.

Local officials in Kediri have issued a warning to people living close to Mt. Kelud to stay
outside a 2-kilometer radius set by the The Center for Volcanology and Geological
Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG).

On Saturday, at least 16 people were killed and three others severely injured due to
pyroclastic clouds emitted by Mt. Sinabung.

Previously, the volcanos ongoing eruptions had claimed the lives of 31 evacuees from
various illnesses such as depression, asthma and hypertension.

Rescuers had to halt operations due to fears of further eruptions. Currently, the
evacuation zone is between 5 and 7 km on the southeast slope of the volcano.

Sixteen villages had to be evacuated following the eruptions.

Meanwhile, responding to the BNPB report, Coordinating Minister for Peoples Welfare
Agung Laksono called on people living close to the volcanoes to remain calm.

[The raising of the alert status] is to raise awareness among government officials and
members of the public so that they can anticipate the worst from the early stage, Agung
said as quoted by Antara news agency.

Agung said that the population in a disaster zone should heed government instructions
to evacuate in the event of a volcanic eruption.

We ask for cooperation from residents. If the local government decides to evacuate
their neighborhood they have to follow the procedures, Agung said.

The country has been battered by a string of natural disasters in recent months.

Authorities in a number of disaster-prone regions have been warned about the potential
for worsening disasters, including landslides and floods, due to heavy rains nationwide.

In West Java, the PVMBG advised that people living in landslide-prone areas in Ciramba
and Mekarmulya subdistricts, Cikalong district, Cianjur, should be relocated.

In Jombang, East Java, 14 people were buried by a landslide on Monday. Seven bodies
have been recovered, while the other seven remain missing.

In Semarang, a landslide displaced 32 families from the Tangkil Baru residential
complex in Sukorejo subdistrict, Gunungpati district, whose houses were destroyed.

Last week, sections of the Javas northern coastal highway were inundated by
floodwaters causing a major traffic disruption.

In East Java, the flooding disrupted traffic from Situbondo to Surabaya.

The flooding also inundated a section of the northern coastal highway connecting
Semarang and Jakarta, causing massive traffic jams in some areas. (dhi)