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BNPB warns Mount Merapi likely to erupt following recent volcanic activity
Mount Merapi, which is one of the most active volcanoes in the archipelago, erupted twice last month, spewing a 6,000-meter-high column of hot ash and volcanic material.
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Mount Merapi emits white smoke after an eruption in Boyolali, Central Java, on Feb. 13, 2020. (Antara/Aloysius Jarot Nugroho)
T
he National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has warned of a potential eruption of Mount Merapi in Central Java following a series of tectonic earthquakes that recently rattled surrounding regions.
BNPB prevention division deputy head Lilik Kurniawan said their prediction was based on the agency's observation and report from the Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG) regarding Mt. Merapi's volcanic activity over the past few weeks.
“We received information from the PVMBG on July 4 regarding Mt. Merapi’s activity. [It found] that shallow tectonic quakes had occurred on two consecutive days,” Lilik said during an online discussion held by the national COVID-19 task force on Thursday as quoted by kompas.com.
He went on to say that such frequency of tectonic quakes could indicate a potential volcanic eruption.
The agency had officially written to Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengkubuwono X – who also serves as the governor of Yogyakarta – and Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo regarding such concerns, he added.
“We need to be informed of the possibilities and be ready for a potential eruption,” Lilik said as he called for the local residents to prepare for such an occurrence.
Mt. Merapi – one of the most active volcanoes in the archipelago – erupted twice last month, spewing a 6,000-meter-high column of hot ash and volcanic material.
In 2010, the volcano erupted, leaving more than 300 people dead and forcing almost 400,000 people to take refuge. Authorities have raised the volcano's alert level to waspada (caution), the second-highest level in the country’s four-tiered alert system. (rfa)
