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Authorities advise caution over possibility of more Merapi eruptions
While activities at Mt. Merapi had declined by Sunday, the local volcano monitoring unit has advised caution to anticipate the potential for other eruptions in the coming days.
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Mount Merapi erupts on March 11, 2023, as seen from Cangkringan, Yogyakarta. (Reuters/SUMO SULIS)
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ollowing several eruptions of hot ash clouds on Saturday and Sunday from Mount Merapi, one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, authorities said people living outside of the hazard zone can continue with their day-to-day activities but were encouraged to take precautionary measures.
The Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development Center (BPPTKG), a special Yogyakarta-based unit of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (CVGDM) for monitoring Mt. Merapi, recorded at least 54 columns of hot ash in just over a 24-hour period following the volcano’s eruption on Saturday.
“People [near] Merapi, both local residents and tourists, can still carry out their activities as usual, as long as [any] eruptions still fall within the [volcanic] hazard assessment,” BPPTKG head Agus Budi Santoso told a livestreamed press conference on Sunday.
Although the intensity of volcanic activity decreased on Sunday compared to the previous day, Agus said there was still potential for more “explosive eruptions and hot [ash] clouds” over the next few days.
This could affect people who lived in the volcano hazard zone within a radius of 7 kilometer to the southwest and 5 km southeast from the crater, he said, while potential rainfall could also pose a threat of lahar, or volcanic mudflows, to residents of riverbank settlements.
One of the columns of ash recorded on Saturday spread as far as 4 km southwest from the volcano in the direction of Bebeng River in Magelang regency, Central Java.
Agus also called on local residents and administrations to prepare for the worst by taking precautionary measures, such as evacuation drills and preparing emergency facilities, to anticipate the possibility of more eruptions.
