JakartaPost-Sept 9, 2026
The government and analysts have warned that the ongoing volcanic eruptions across Indonesia will affect economic growth, but putting a number on the damage is impossible for now. “Impacted regions will certainly contract” economically, Coordinating Economy Minister Airlangga Hartarto said on Monday, adding that the government was “monitoring the impact of the eruptions of five, six volcanoes in Indonesia, particularly the significant decline in people’s [economic] activity”. Indonesian authorities currently categorize six volcanoes as alert level 3, which signifies an increase in volcanic activity whereby eruptions may occur, just one step shy of the final level that describes a high likelihood of an imminent, substantially more dangerous eruption. Two of those six are Lewotobi Laki-Laki and Ili Lewotok, both of which are located in East Nusa Tenggara, a region that last month suffered an earthquake of magnitude 7.7 on the Richter scale. In addition, the list includes Ibu in North Maluku, Sinabung in North Sumatra and Semeru in East Java, all of which have recently erupted. However, the one that made global headlines is the Anak Krakatau volcano off the coast of Lampung, which saw a continuous 25-hour eruption last weekend, spewing volcanic ash that the wind blew over to Jakarta, 140 kilometers away, and a wide area of western Java. Anak Krakatau is a volcanic island that grew out of the sea some decades after Mount Krakatau went through one of the most colossal eruptions in modern history in 1883, which wiped out the old 800-meter volcano. The 1883 Krakatau eruption was far more intense than Mount St. Helens eruption of 1980, widely regarded as the most destructive in United States history. Albeit far from being as intense, the recent Anak Krakatau eruption affected a large area via its spreading volcanic ash that was seen as far as 350 km away from the island. The ash grounded flights off Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Indonesia’s main aviation hub, for two whole days on safety grounds, and the Indonesia National Air Carriers Association (INACA) noted that airlines suffered losses in two ways: missing out on revenue due to cancellations and having to pay extra for ground crews, airplane parking, maintenance and passenger compensation. Speaking to The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, INACA secretary-general Bayu Sutanto estimated the industry’s overall losses at Rp 10 billion (US$571,229) to Rp 19 billion per dday. Read more at:
