Mount Merapi's Volcanic Activity Increases, The Community Is Asked To Be Careful

Mount Merapi's incandescent lava fall (Photo: BNPB documentation)

JAKARTA - The activity of Mount Merapi has been observed launching 36 times of incandescent lava with a maximum range of 1.5 km. People living around the border of Central Java and Yogyakarta Special Region are asked to be careful.

This is because in previous days, the range was still under 1 kilometer from the mouth of the crater. So today one in two glides of incandescent lava can reach even further boundaries.

"Based on observations made on Sunday at 00.00-06.00 WIB, Merapi's incandescent lava avalanche slid to the southwest," said the Head of BPPTKG Hanik Humaida in a written statement, Sunday, January 17.

During the observation period, according to BPPTKG, Mount Merapi also experienced 43 earthquake avalanches with an amplitude of 3-23 mm for 12-188 seconds and six times a multi-phase earthquake with an amplitude of 3-5 mm for 5-8 seconds.

Thick white crater smoke as high as 50 meters above the crater peak was observed during the observation. During the observation period, Saturday afternoon, 18.00-24.00 WIB, Mount Merapi was recorded to launch 20 times of incandescent lava with a maximum distance of 1,000 meters to the southwest.

Based on observations over the past week, from January 8 to 14, 2021), the BPPTKG concluded that the volcanic activity of Mount Merapi is still quite high and maintains the status of Mount Merapi at Level III or Alert.

The BPPTKG recommends that mining activities in rivers that are upstream on Mount Merapi in a disaster-prone area are stopped and ask tourist and climbers not to carry out activities in disaster-prone areas.

The BPPTKG has also renewed the danger zone of Mount Merapi in connection with the threat of lava avalanches and hot clouds - even though the status of the volcano is still on Alert. Based on the direction of the eruption, the current hazard potential covers the south-southwest sector covering five rivers namely Boyong, Bedog, Krasak, Bebeng, and Putih with a maximum distance of 5 kilometers.