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Activity of three volcanos increases

The volcanic activity of three mounts - in West Sumatra, Central Java and East Nusa Tenggara - is on the rise, leading authorities to remind residents living in the surrounding areas to be on the alert

Syofiardi Bachyul and Yuli Tri Suwarni (The Jakarta Post)
Padang, Bandung
Wed, April 22, 2009

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Activity of three volcanos increases

T

he volcanic activity of three mounts - in West Sumatra, Central Java and East Nusa Tenggara - is on the rise, leading authorities to remind residents living in the surrounding areas to be on the alert.

The activity of Mt. Kerinci, the highest in Sumatra, has increased since Sunday, exploding loudly and spewing ash up to 400 meters high.

Heru Prasetyo, head of the Mt. Kerinci Observation Post in Kersik Tuo, Kerinci regency, said that the 3,805 meter mountain, which is located on the border of West Sumatra and Jambi, continued spewing ash on Tuesday.

"We've urged residents living along the nearby slopes in Kerinci regency and South Solok regency in West Sumatra to be on the alert. We've also advised them to use markers whenever they go out of the house," Heru said.

Tulus, a Kayu Aro villager in Kerinci regency, reported seeing lava spewing out of Kerinci, followed by the sound of explosions."I was frightened to see the eruptions."

The Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) in Bandung, West Java, has raised the status of Mt. Slamet in Central Java and Mt. Rokatenda in West Nusa Tenggara to alert, or to level two out of a possible four.

Muhamad Hendrasto, head of PVMBG's volcanic observation department, said that volcanic activity of the 876-meter-high Mt. Rokatenda in Sikka regency has increased since Monday and has been accompanied by a higher frequency of earthquakes.

Up to 23 earthquakes a day have been recorded at the mountain, up from an average of only two in early April, he said.

Hendrasto expressed fear that an eruption of Mt. Rokatenda would endanger residents of Palue Island, where the mount is located.

"We are afraid *about the impact of a natural disaster* because the direction of the eruption is to the south and it is there that most of the residents live."

He added that the PVMBG had sent a letter to the local administration to prepare an evacuation route, as a safe distance from the island is two hours away and requires a boat to reach.

Eruptions at Mt. Rokatenda killed 266 people in 1928, according to PVMBG data.

Hendrasto further said that the status of Mt. Slamet, a 3,432-meter mountain located at the intersection of five regencies - Pemalang, Banyumas, Brebes, Tegal and Purbalingga - in Central Java has also been raised to alert, as the frequency of earthquakes doubled to 97 on Monday.

"The mountain spewed white smoke 300 meters high from its crater," he said in Bandung on Tuesday.

"The temperature of hot water in Pandansari and Pasepuhan was recorded to have increased by 3 degrees Celcius within the last four days," he added.

The water temperature in Pandansari, for example, increased from 42.2 degrees on April 17, to 45.7 degrees on April 21; while that in Pase-puhan rose from 61.6 degrees to 63 degrees over the same period, Hendrasto said.He explained that in accordance with the raise in status, the PVMBG has banned trekking activities around Mt. Slamet and has asked residents to wear masks in case of thick smoke, to prevent any breathing problems.

Responding to the raise in status, Sobari, head of Mt. Slamet's hikking post in Bambangan village, Purbalingga, said, "All hikking and trekking activities have been stopped as of Tuesday. Until when, we do not know."

Despite the alert status, residents on the southern slopes of the mountain went about life as usual. Mt. Slamet is the largest volcano in Java.

Earlier in the week, the PVMBG raised the status of Mt. Krakatau, in the Sunda Strait between Javaand Sumatra, to alert. Despite calls not to panic, many residents living close to the mountain have evacuated to Bandarlampung, out of fear of an imminent eruption of thevolcano.

The seismograph at the Anak Krakatau oberservation post in South Lampung has recorded 126 eruptions a week.

Updated data from the PVMBG shows that 13 volcanos in Indonesia are classified as alert or level two, and three others are at level three. This includes Mt. Semeru in East Java, Mt. Karangetang in North Sulawesi and Mt. Ibu in Maluku.

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