The Eruption Of Mount Semeru Every Day Does Not Have An Impact On Citizen Activities

The eruption of Mount Semeru, which has occurred every day so far, has not had an impact on the activities of residents in Lumajang Regency, East Java.

"Alhamdulillah, there is no impact due to the eruption of Mount Semeru. Residents' activities are running as usual," said Head of Emergency and Logistics Division of the Lumajang Regency BPBD Yudi Cahyono in Lumajang, quoted from Antara, Sunday, February 18.

Based on reports from the Semeru Volcano Observation Post officer that the mountain on the border of Lumajang Regency and Malang erupted again on February 18, 2024 at 06.11 WIB by ejecting volcanic ash as high as 400 meters above the peak (about 4,076 meters above sea level).

The volcanic ash column was observed to be white to gray with moderate intensity to the south and when the report was made by officers, the eruption was still ongoing.

Then, another eruption occurred at 10.23 WIB. The visual eruption was not observed and the eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of 112 seconds.

Mount Semeru, which is the highest mountain on the island of Java, experienced an eruption every day in the past week in mid-February 2024.

Yudi said that Mount Semeru, which has a height of 3,676 meters above sea level, is still on standby or level III, so the public is advised to comply with the recommendations of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG).

The public is prohibited from carrying out any activities in the southeast sector along Besuk Kobokan, as far as 13 km from the summit (the center of the eruption).

Beyond this distance, the community does not carry out activities at a distance of 500 meters from the riverbank (river border) along Besuk Kobokan because it has the potential to be affected by the expansion of hot clouds and lava flows up to a distance of 17 km from the summit.

Then, people should not move within a radius of 5 kilometers from the crater/peak of Mount Semeru, because they are prone to the danger of throwing stones (lightning).

The public is also advised to be aware of the potential for hot clouds, lava avalanches, and lahars along rivers/valleys that originate at the peak of the Semeru Volcano, especially along Besuk Kobokan, Besuk Bang, Besuk Kembar, and Besuk Sat, as well as the potential for lahars in small rivers that are tributaries of Besuk Kobokan.