JakartaPost-Apr 21
A mid heightened activity at several volcanoes across the country, authorities have urged the public to stay vigilant about potential eruptions and to refer only to information from credible sources. The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM) maintained on Saturday the level of Awas (warning) for Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi. Also known as a red alert, the center first imposed the highest level of the four-tier national alert system on the volcano after a series of eruptions on Wednesday. Aside from Mt. Ruang, five other volcanoes still remain at the third-highest Siaga (watch; orange alert) level: Mt. Awu in North Sulawesi, Mt. Ile Lewotolok in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Mt. Marapi in West Sumatra, Mt. Merapi in Central Java and Mt. Semeru in East Java. The CVGHM maintained the level of Waspada (advisory; yellow alert) for Mt. Gamalama in North Maluku, despite reports of increasing seismic activity at the stratovolcano. “People living close to the mountains now in a critical state are to follow recommendations from officials,” CVGHM head Hendra Gunawan told The Jakarta Post on Saturday. For volcanoes with an Awas (red alert) designation, no visitors are allowed within a distance of 6 kilometers from the crater, while a Siaga (orange alert) designation means people are not allowed within a 5 km radius from the crater. After first erupting on Tuesday, Mt. Ruang again erupted on Saturday at around 1 a.m. local time, according to the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry (ESDM), spewing an ash column to a height of around 1,200 meters. As of Saturday afternoon, volcanic ash and rock from Mt. Ruang had covered 10 villages and two subdistricts on neighboring Tagulandang Island, said a statement from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB). Read more at:
