Commission VIII Of The House Of Representatives Urges The Government To Minimize The Impact Of The Semeru Eruption Disaster

Members of the Lumajang BPBD TRC while monitoring the launching of the Semeru hot cloud on Wednesday (19/11/2025) afternoon. BETWEEN/HO-BPBD Lumajang

JAKARTA Member of Commission VIII DPR RI, Mahdalena urged the government to move quickly to take various mitigation steps to minimize the impact of the Semeru eruption disaster in East Java. Especially for the people around the highest mountain on the island of Java.

"This Semeru eruption must be immediately handled by the government. The government must be present and provide assistance needed by the community," said Mahdalena, Thursday, November 20.

"The establishment of refugee posts and the fulfillment of basic needs for residents must be carried out immediately," he added.

According to Mahdalena, the phenomenon of volcanic eruptions, including those currently occurring on Mount Semeru, has a big impact. He assessed that the eruption could last for a long time which prevented people from doing activities freely.

"For this reason, this situation must be anticipated so that various negative impacts of disasters do not cause many casualties," he said.

The PKB legislator also emphasized that the government must carry out detailed data collection on all affected areas, while ensuring that the basic needs of the community are met. He also asked the government to provide clean water facilities, food needs, and other emergency services for affected communities.

We ask the government to strictly monitor so that people do not enter the danger zone. We certainly don't want any casualties due to the Semeru eruption. Therefore, quick, measurable, and tactical actions are needed," he said.

Mahdalena also encouraged the government to immediately provide assistance and health services without exception for affected residents. Including the provision of masks, so that people are not increasingly affected by volcanic ash.

"The government must distribute it evenly and ensure that the masks are actually used," he said.

If there are residents who are injured and need treatment, the government must ensure that health services are provided optimally. No one victim should not receive treatment," continued the DPR member from the West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) electoral district.

It is known that Mount Semeru in East Java experienced an eruption on Wednesday, November 29, at 16.00 WIB. The status of the mountain was raised from Level II (Alert) to Level IV (Alert).

The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) recommends that people do not move within a radius of 8 kilometers from the summit, and avoid the southern region to a distance of 20 kilometers.