The decision was made at an evaluation meeting at the Mount Agung Observatory in Rendang village, Karangasem, Bali. The meeting was led by Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan and attended by related agencies including PVMBG, the National  Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) and Bali Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD).

"After monitoring the volcanic activity of Mount Agung in the past month, the PVMBG recommend downgrading Mount Agung’s alert status from beware [fourth level] to alert [third level]. The hazard zone will also decrease to only 4 km from the crater," Jonan told the press conference after the meeting.

Jonan said the decision was made following the decreasing seismic activity of Mount Agung. 

Jonan added that displaced people living in shelters could go home. "All of our brothers and sisters who have fled their homes can now return to their villages. This also means that all tourist activities in Bali are declared safe," Jonan said.

BNPB head Willem Rampangilei said the agency will focus on assisting displaced people to return to their villages.

"We also need to carry out other preparations, especially for displaced people whose homes or surrounding infrastructure have been damaged. We will help to repair it," Willem said. (ahw)

Popular

Indonesian islanders lose ground as islets put on sale

Labubu dolls ride China soft-power wave

A democratic reckoning for global development finance