Photo Essay: Life goes on eight years after Merapi eruptions

Wed, November 7, 2018 / 03:25 pm

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Paving the way: Soldiers remove volcanic debris from the Gendol River Dam in Bronggang village, Sleman, Yogyakarta, in 2010. JP/Boy T Harjanto
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Missing home: Evacuees return home several weeks after the 2010 Mount Merapi eruption destroyed their village in Balerante, Klaten, Central Java. JP/Boy T Harjanto
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Rising from the ashes: Evacuees travel back to their village in Srunen, Sleman, Yogyakarta. Ten years after Merapi’s eruption, trees and grass have grown back. JP/Boy T Harjanto
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Precarious road: Cyclists pass a road covered in cold lava in Bronggang village, Sleman, Yogyakarta. JP/Boy T Harjanto
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Dust has settled: A student wears a mask to protect her from volcanic ash in Yogyakarta during the eruption of Mount Merapi in 2010. JP/Boy T Harjanto

Boy T Harjanto

Mount Merapi, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, claimed 353 lives and forced 350,000 people to evacuate in a series of eruptions in 2010. The first eruption on Oct. 26, 2010 destroyed the small village of Kinahrejo in Cangkringan, Sleman, forcing residents within a radius of 10 kilometers of the volcano to leave.

On Nov. 5, Mount Merapi saw its biggest eruption since the 1870s, with a pyroclastic flow of hot gas and ash that flowed as far as 15 km through Gendol River.

Eight years after the eruptions, damaged bridges and dams have been restored. Residents have returned to their villages, although the area remains at risk of volcanic eruptions.

These images, showing the aftermath of the 2010 eruptions and the current conditions, highlight the determination of the people of Yogyakarta and Central Java to rebuild their lives and keep living next to the stunning yet feared Mount Merapi.