Mount Ibu Erupts Only Morning And Afternoon, BPBD Distributes 1,385 Masks To Affected Residents

Illustration of a volcanic eruption. (BNPB Doc)

HALBAR - Mount Ibu in West Halmahera (Halbar), North Maluku, has erupted over the past week. The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) distributed masks to residents in seven affected villages.

The Head of Emergency and Logistics for the BPBD of Halbar Regency, Sofyan Aswad, explained that BPBD personnel were deployed to affected locations distributing 1,385 masks.

One of these efforts is to prevent small particles that have the potential to endanger health from being inhaled by the respiratory tract of residents affected by the eruption of Mount Ibu.

Sofyan Aswad said that currently his party has distributed masks to residents in seven villages including Tongute Goin Village 234 pcs, Tongute Sungi Village 155 pcs, Maritango Village 259 pcs, Naga Village 200 pcs, Gam Ici Village 212 pcs, Kie ici Village 275 pcs. and Ake Boso 150 pcs

The eruption of Mount Ibu occurred in the morning and afternoon in the past week. The BPBD team was dispatched to the affected areas to intensively conduct socialization and distribute masks to residents affected by the Mount Ibu eruption.

Sofyan also asked the public to remain vigilant and he appealed to all tourists not to climb to Mount Ibu, because there was still ash from the eruption of Mount Ibu.

Previously, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMG) noted that Mount Ibu in Halbar Regency again erupted on Thursday 4 August, as a result of which villages in the sub-district were affected by volcanic ash.

The Head of the Geological Agency Representative, PVMBG of the Mount Ibu Observation Post, Ridwan, was contacted, confirming that Mount Ibu erupts almost every time and releases volcanic ash which is scattered throughout the settlements, especially in the seven affected villages.

His party also admitted that the eruption caused volcanic ash to be seen up to 800 meters above the peak or 2,125 meters above sea level.